Mars Investigations
by AceReportr
Summary: Veronica Mars is dead, and it's up to her son, Chris, to solve the crime and struggle with being the newest resident of Neptune, CA.
1. Prologue

**This is my first Veronica Mars fanfic. I'm sorry the first part is so tiny, but it's just a taste of what's to come. Hope you guys like. Please comment, because that will determine whether or not I continue with this story. Thanks. **

** P.S. voiceovers are italicised.  
**

_I'm Christopher Mars, Neptune's newest resident. I'm staying with my grandpa, Keith Mars._

Christopher Mars makes his way to a building we are very familiar with. Mars Investigations is etched on the door.

_Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything. Creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild._

_How do you rebuild? You face the tornado head on and make it pay for what it took from you, at least that's what I plan on doing. They said it was suicide. That she didn't want to go on living. I know, sorry, knew my mother, and she wouldn't do something like that. She was murdered, I'm sure of it. Now the only thing left is to find out who did it._


	2. Meet Me at the Flagpole Part 1

Voiceovers are italicised. 

_I'm Christopher Mars, Neptune's newest resident. I'm staying with my grandpa, Keith Mars._

Christopher made his way to a building we are very familiar with. 'Mars Investigations' is etched on the door.

_Tragedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything. Creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild._

_How do you rebuild? You face the tornado head on and make it pay for what it took from you, at least that's what I plan on doing. They said it was suicide. That she didn't want to go on living. I know, sorry, knew my mother, and she wouldn't do something like that. She was murdered, I'm sure of it. Now, the only thing left is to find out who did it._

**Neptune High School - Day**

Laughs and chuckles filled the atmosphere as Penny Jenkins makes her way up the path towards the enterance to Neptun High School. As she makes her way through the crowd, she comes to the flagpole, where she finds Chris duct taped to it.

Penny sighed heavily as she made her way over to him, pushing a boy who was taking a picture with his cell phone. "Two days in Neptune, and you're already making enemies."

Chris rolled his eyes and looked down at Penny. "Can you just get me down, please?"

Penny pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting him down. "Go Pirates." She shouted, as the crowd began to disperse at the sound of the first bell rang.

_I know you're wondering just how I got taped to the flagpole.  
Well, to know that, I guess we'd have to rewind to yesterday._

**Mars Investigations - Day**

Christopher Mars, 17, high school junior, made his way into the office, duffle bag in hand. Shutting the door behind him,  
he made his way further into the office, notcing the front desk, where he was told his mother had spent a lot of time helping out her father. "Gramps?" Chris said aloud, in a questioning tone.

A door swung open, revealing an older, Keith Mars. He looked warn out, and like he'd been crying. Wouldn't you if your daughter had just been murdered. "Chris." Keith said a smile forming on his face as he walked over to him and enveloped him in a hug. He backed off. "Sorry, I couldn't pick you up."

"Forgettaboutit." Chris said with a shrug. "I had to get my car down here somehow."

"Yeah. But still." Keith stated.

"I like road trips. Plus, I had to say good bye to some friends, and I figured you'd be bored, so it worked out." Chris said with a smile.

"Okay. Did you stop by the apartment?" Keith asked. "Find it alright?"

"Yeah. The unpacking is coming along slowly, but I'll have it finished by tonight." Chris said as he took a seat at the desk.

"No rush. I'm actually leaving. Have a case in San Fransico,  
you think you'll be alright." Keith asked.

"I'm sure I can manage." Chris said as he looked through some of the files on the desk.

"Okay. Well...I'll be back tomorrow morning. Call if you need anything." Keith said as he grabbed his briefcase and walked out the door.

_He's different from what I remember, but can you really blame him? When you lose a daughter and get stuck with her kid, who reminds you of her, it's kind of hard to be the normal chipper self you once were. Espeically when you're the one who found her._

**Flashback**

**Mars' Apartment - Night**

Keith walked into the apartment he had lived in for years, laughing as Chris followed him, laughing as well. "Honey,  
we're home." Keith stated as he moved further into the apartment, and as he passed the bathroom, he stopped, stunned at the sight in front of him. His little girl was lying in the bathtub, blood dripping from her wrists.

"Veronica!" Keith shouted as he bursted in, going to her, lifting her out of the water. "No, baby, no!" He said, tears streamed down his face.

"Gramps, what's wrong?" Chris stated as he made his way quickly towards the bathroom. He saw a glimpse of his mother's lifeless face before Keith slammed the door.

"Call an ambulence, Chris. NOW!" Keith shouted.

Chris pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

**End Flashback**

**Mars Investigations - Day**

Chris is still sitting at the desk, his face and eyes filled with sadness.

_That was the last time I saw my mother. There was nothing they could do, and the investigation into her death was brief.  
I mean, anyone who was there would say that it was a suicide,  
everyone except me._

A girl made her way into the offices, a large shoulder bag on her arm. She stopped in her tracks as she looked at Chris.  
"You're in my seat." The girl snapped, making Chris quickly get up, and move.

"And exactly who are you?" Chris said as he watched the girl take a seat behind the front desk and set her stuff down. "I'm Penny. Mr. Mars' assistant, and you are?"


	3. Meet Me at the Flagpole Part 2

**Mars Investigations - Day**

"Christoper Mars." Chris stated as he looked at the girl, a little put off by her attitude. Hopefully she wasn't like this to the clients that walked in.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I...I didn't know." Penny said tripping over her own words. "I, I just tend to put my foot in my mouth. It's a nervous habbit, especially around new people."

"It's just funny how people treat you once they find out that you're the kid of the woman that killed herself." Chris said with a bit of chuckle.

"I didn't mean it like that." Penny stated. "I...you're Mr.  
Mars' grandson, and I should have just said hello like a normal person."

"I'm not that into normal anyways." Chris said with a smile.

The door opened, and a much older Cliff came walking in. His eyes went directly to Penny's until, he noticed Chris. "How you holding up, C?"

_How are you holding up? If one more person asks me that question, I'm getting it tattooed on my forehead._

Chris just shrugged. He had known Cliff most of his life when he'd come to visit on those rare occasions, but learned about him mostly from the stories his mother used to tell him.

"Same here, kid." Cliff said.

"Mr. Mars is on a case until tomorrow." Penny interjected. "I assume that's why you're here."

"That I am." Cliff said pulling out a folder. "You'll have to excuse my niece here, she was never really taught any manners." Cliff said with a smirk.

"You two are related?" Chris asked.

"Unfortunately." Penny said with a sigh. "What do you got?"

"Well, I have a potential case. Wife suspects husband is cheating on her. Wants pictures for a bigger piece of the settlement." Cliff said with small laugh. It was funny how things haven't changed over the years.

"Why didn't she just come to us?" Penny asked.

"She wanted to be discreet. And felt that if she were seen walking in here, people would begin to talk." Cliff replied.

"Who is it?" Penny inquired.

"Madison Sinclair-Echolls." Cliff stated.

"Logan Echolls' wife?!" Penny said shocked.

"Logan Echolls. Isn't he that big action star?" Chris asked.  
"I think my mom dated him once."

"Correct." Cliff stated. "So, as soon as Keith gets back, let him know what's up." Cliff got up and headed out. "See you later kids."

Chris grabbed the file and began reading it over.

"Hey! That's private." Penny whined.

"I'm family." Chris argued. "So, wanna go track down a famous movie star?"

Penny looked to Chris, her eyes wide. "No way. It's against the law. Plus, Mr. Mars will kill me if he finds out."

"It's just a few pictures. How much trouble could we get into?" Chris said trying to coax Penny with a smile.

"No." Penny stated as she took the file and placed it in one of the locked filing cabinets.

Chris nodded. "Okay. Well, I'm heading home. Have some unpacking to do, but I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah." Penny stated as she organized the desk.

"Bye." Chris said as he exited the office, a small smile could be seen on his face as he exited the office.

**Echolls Residence - Evening**

_Logan Echolls. Big wig Hollywood action star living in Neptune,  
California. Sure, it's nothing new. But it does make it easier for someone to locate such a person. Why anyone would wanna model their life after the father that killed your girlfriend?_

_Mom told me millions of stories of her high school years as a private eye._

Chris watched as Logan got into his car and drove off, Chris tailing behind him.

_One thing my mom taught me was how to tail a car. It was as easy as she said it was, but then again, she probably thought I'd never be in the position to have to tail anyone. This life was not what she wanted for me. Hell, it's not what I wanted for myself either._

Logan's car stopped at Goon's, a bar just outside the city limits.

_Great. Well, mom never told me how to pull a fake i.d. out of my ass, so maybe pictures of some license plates could help draw a conclusion of who Mr. Echolls was meeting with._

Chris snapped a few shots of the cars in the lot. Thankfully it was a slow night, and there weren't many cars. Chris sighed. Chris leaned back in his seat, and hoped that Mr. Echolls would walk out with the mistress that Mrs. Echolls so desperately wanted to find. Chris' eyes closed slowly, and within a few minutes, he was asleep.

**Outside Goon's - Early Morning**

Chris' eyes opened quickly as he realized he had fallen alseep.  
All the cars were gone, most importantly, Logan's car was gone.  
He sighed heavily as he started his car, and took off on the road.

Chris came to a stop light and slowly stopped behind another car. The light turned green, and he stepped on the gas slowly only to come in contact softly with the car in front of him.

"Dammit." Chris said aloud as he turned off his car, and got out. Checking the other person's car first, he noticed that it didn't even scratch. Relief washed over him.

Two people got out of the other car. A boy and a girl, both around Chris's age. "Sorry about that. The light was green.  
There isn't any damage."

"Maybe not to my car, but I have to say, I'm a little shaken up." The boy stated, a smirk on his face while the girl just chuckled. They were obviously intoxicated.

"Well, maybe you should get a blanket." Chris stated, annoyed already with this guy.

"You're new." The boy stated.

"You're quick." Chris quickly retored.

"You know who I am?" The boy asked.

"Didn't ask." Chris stated.

"I'm Lincoln Echolls and that..." Lincoln pointed over to the girl. "...is Claire Casablancas."

"Good for you." Chris stated.

_The cheating spouse has a kid. Wonder if they'll fight over which one has to take him._

"We introduced ourselves, your turn." Lincoln stated.

"Chris. Chris Mars." He said just wanting to get out of here.

"The girl friday's kid?" Lincoln laughed. "Yeah. Sorry to hear about your loss, Dude. You must be a real piece of work if you're mom had to kill herself just to get away from you."

Chris face turned to stone.

"My dad and your mom actually dated for a while." Lincoln stated. "She said she was a real wild one. Could go for hours." And before Lincoln could even laugh, Chris had sent a right hook to his jaw causing him to fall on the ground.

Chris then noticed two other boys get out of Lincoln's car and walk towards him. Holding him by both arms, Lincoln stood up and sent a punch to his stomach.

"Alright boys. Let's give the new kid a propper introduction"  
Lincoln said with a smirk as the boys dragged Chris into Lincoln's car. One of the boys tossed some keys to Lincoln, and he walked over to Chris' car and got in, and followed his own car.

**Neptune High School - Day**

Laughs and chuckles filled the atmosphere as Penny Jenkins makes her way up the path towards the enterance to Neptun High School. As she makes her way through the crowd, she comes to the flagpole, where she finds Chris duct taped to it.

Penny sighed heavily as she made her way over to him, pushing a boy who was taking a picture with his cell phone. "Two days in Neptune, and you're already making enemies."

Chris rolled his eyes and looked down at Penny. "Can you just get me down, please?"

Penny pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting him down. "Go Pirates." She shouted, as the crowd began to disperse at the sound of the first bell rang.


	4. Meet Me at the Flagpole Part 3

**Neptune High School - Day**

Chris made his way out of the boys bathroom, now wearing a pair of sweats, and a Neptune High t-shirt. He wasn't the happiest camper.

"Well, it could be worse." Penny said looking him up and down.

"Is this all you could find?" Chris asked.

"Well, I mean, it's not like a stylish wardrobe is going to make up for the fact the the entire school saw you in your birthday suit." Penny shrugged. "And you're hot...so it's totally okay." Penny said, wincing at her last statement.

Chris smirked. "You think I'm hot?"

"Just a little bit, Casanova." Penny smirked. "But I was actually quoting a Ms. Claire Casablancas." Penny said as she continued walking, leaving a stunned Chris behind.

**Neptune High School - A few hours later**

_Random locker searches. Me and my mom would make fun of the stories she would say about these particular locker searches.  
I had them at my old school, and with my mom always said, an office aid was a girl's best friend. Thankfully, I had made friends with Jane in first period. My gramps always said I had my mom's winning personality._

Chris makes an annoyed walk over to his locker where Principal Mayes and an older Sheriff Lamb were awaiting his arrival.  
"You guys do know that it's my first day, right? What could I possibly have in my locker?"

"We heard about a small altercation between Mr. Echolls and yourself, and being a new student, we want to assure safety for all our students." Principal Mayes stated.

Chris rolled his eyes as he put the combination of his locker in and pulled up, and the locker opened revealing a picture of Principal Mayes in the center of a heart. "Wow...this is really embarrassing."

Principal Mayes looked irritated, while Lamb seemed uncharacteristically ammused.

"I hope gay students are allowed at this school, I'd hate to have to start a new school already." Chris joked.

"All right, smart guy. My office. Now." Principal Mayes stated as he headed towards his office, expecting Chris to follow.

Chris looked to Lamb. "Am I free to go?"

"Keep out of trouble, Mr. Mars." Lamb stated still a bewildered smirk on his face as he headed off.

Chris followed Principal Mayes' footsteps and met him in his office. Slouching in a seat, he looked to the man in front of him.

"Mr. Mars, I'm well aware of you current situation, and I'm also aware of your mother's colorful past with this fine institution, but I'm hoping you can turn over a new leaf here." He looked down at a piece of paper on his desk.  
"It says here you're not in any extra-curricular activities,  
why is that?"

"I'm a busy man, Principal Mayes." Chris stated, then sighed.  
"It's the middle of the year, only openings were dance and home-economics, and I'm already a damn fine cook." Chris said seeing a jar of candy on his desk. "May I?" Chris asked pointing at the jar.

"No." Principal Mayes responded. "I see you were on the track team at your last school, unfortunately there are no openings at this time."

"Too bad." Chris said mocking an actually disappointed reaction.

"How about newspaper?" Principal Mayes asked.

"Will it get you off my back?" Chris asked.

"Yup." He responded.

"Sign me up, Boss." Chris said as he stood up, grabbing his backpack along the way.

"I look forward to many, many more meetings with you, Mr. Mars." Principal Mayes said as Chris headed for the door.

"As do I, Principal Mayes." Chris stated before he closed the door behind him.

**Neptune Navigator - Day**

Chis made his way towards the Navigator's home room.

_Journalism was never a real interest in mine, not until I started learning what it was that my mom actually did while in high school._

_Like my mother, photography had been a hobby that we shared together rather frequently, so to make this quest to please the high school administration more to my liking, I'm hoping I can find some silver lining in this organized school function._

Chris made his way into the room, giving a quick glance at his fellow classmates. Unrecognizable.

_So, far so good._

Chris' eyes landed on none other than Lincoln Echolls and Claire Casablancas.

_Crap._

Chris' attention was twarted by another girl. Pretty. Brunette, and beautiful blue eyes.

Heeeeelllllllllllllooooooooo!

"Can I help you?" The girl asked.

Chris held up a note. "I'm been sentenced to a lifetime of writing about the newest trends and cafeteria food scandals, I think I'm pretty much helpless."

The girl laughed as she looked down at the paper. "Chris Mars. You're the one on the flag pole."

"Please...bring that up as often as you can." Chris stated uncomfortably as he could tell the class' eyes were now drawn to him.

"Sorry." The girl seemed a bit bewildered. "Hi. I'm Izzy.  
Izzy Montgomery." She said with a smile. "I teach this class."

"You are my teacher?" Chris stated a bit shocked.

"College student. Requirement for one of my classes is I have to teach a high school course, and since Neptune High doesn't actively have a newspaper instructor, and I'm a journalism major, it was my lucky day." Izzy took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm babbling  
anyways, what are you into? Sports? Entertainment?"

The class seemed to get back to whatever it was that they were doing. "I like photography."

"Oh, good, we seem to have a lack of someone who knows how to work a camera that isn't inserted into a cell phone." Izzy said with a smile. The bell rang, and Izzy looked around.  
"Okay, guys, I want some actual story ideas tomorrow."

The students began to disperse. "That includes you as well,  
Mr. Mars." Izzy said with a smile as she walked over to her desk.

Chris' eyes watched as she walked away.

_Okay. Maybe this wasn't going to be SOOOO bad._

**Neptune High - Day**

Chris and Penny made their way out of the school grounds, and into the parking lot. There was yet again, another comotion.  
Chris and Penny made their way through the crowd and saw a girl, dressed in a leather jacket. She was tough, yet extremely beautiful. A crowd of other boys were around her also wearing leather, one was holding Lincoln Echolls tight,  
so he could not break free.

As the girl finished what she was doing, she backed away revealing '09ers suck' that had been keyed on the hood of Lincoln's car. "Let him go." She said with a smirk.  
"Next time, you should play nice." She stated as she walked over towards Chris, his face full of worry.

"I'm Coop Navaro." She stated with a smirk. "Our parents were friends back in the day, and I guess he owed her one"  
Coop said as she nodded and walked over to her motorcycle,  
and drove off, as the others followed her.

**Mars Investigations - Night**

_So, as it appears, I'm not as unpopular as it seems. Coop Navaro is the head hancho in the PCH Biker gang. Mom told me stories of her and Weevil. How he was one of her best friends growing up._

_Although, no one ever does something for nothing, so I'm assuming I'll be seeing Coop around, coming to claim her repayment for the revenge on Lincoln._

Chris pulled out his laptop and placed it on the desk, followed by his camera. Plugging the camera into the computer, he pressed a few buttons.

_Now to check on the lisence plates from Goon's. Clicking on the P.I. website his mother told him about, all he needed was the password._

_Thankfully, mom was never good at keeping her password secret.  
I'm betting Gramps was still smarter than that. Dates and algorithms were just too easy to decipher. It was always good to have random numbers. Problem with that, is, you have trouble remembering them, so you usually write them down._

Chris began searching on Keith's desk. Staring at his calendar, he smirked.

_As young and hip as my gramps thinks he is, I doubt he has scheduled a Magic Mountain trip for me anytime soon._

Chris typed in the password and he was in. Taking the first car, he typed it in. Getting a name, he quickly jotted it down before going onto the next, and the next, and the next.

_What?_

Chris' face begins to frown.

_What was Gramps doing at Goonies when he said he was going out of town? Why would he lie to me, unless he was the person Logan was trying to meet up with. Which begs a harder question,  
Why?_

Chris heard the door, and quickly closed the lid of his laptop.  
"Gramps, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

Keith was a bit startled, but smiled as he walked in. "Hey,  
Kiddo. Oh. It ended up not taking as long as I had planned."

_Liar._

"So, what were you up to...?" Keith was interrupted by Cliff making his way into the door. "Cliff."

"Hello, Keith. Chris." Cliff said with a little wave. "I was driving by, and I saw that your car was here and wanted to make sure you got the Echolls file, I brought in earlier."

"Not yet, but I just got in." Keith stated.

Chris stood up and looked to Cliff. "He isn't cheating."

"What?" Keith and Cliff said in unison.

"Logan Echolls, he isn't cheating. I followed him to the Goon's last night, and he wasn't meeting anyone of the female persuasion." Chris' eyes went directly to Keith, who had a guilty look on his face.

"Alright. Well, I'll contact Mrs. Echolls first thing in the morning." Cliff said with another wave as he exited the office.

"What the hell are you doing, Chris?" Keith yelled. "Following Mr. Echolls around, taking pictures. This is dangerous work.  
This is my work. What could you have possibly been thinking?"

"I'll tell you what I was thinking as soon as you tell me what you were doing at Goon's last night with Mr. Echolls." Chris quickly retorted. "Why did you lie to me?" Chris yelled. "I'm so sick of being lied to. You. Mom."

"You're mom didn't lie to you." Keith said in a softer tone.

"Really? Well, she could have talked to me. She could have told me what was wrong, so I could help her, but she didn't. She was weak and she left me. She left me all alone." Chris yelled, a few tears falling down his face.

"Chris. No. You're mom wasn't weak." Keith said walking over to his grandson. "She was one of the strongest people I've ever known." He said hugging Chris tightly. Keith let go of him and walked towards his safe. Putting in a combination,  
he pulled out a large box and opened it, and took a folder out of it.

He walked over to Chris and handed it to him.

"What is this?" Chris asked as he opened it.

"It's your mom's autopsy findings." Keith stated.

Chris cringed at the thought, but knew his gramps wouldn't give him this if he couldn't read it. "And?"

"Look at the ruling." Keith stated.

Chris' eyes shot up to his gramps'. "It was ruled as a murder"  
Chris said confused. "But how? Why wasn't there an investigation?"

"You're mother told you how the sheriff's work in this town.  
They would have done a sloppy investigation, and we'd be in the same place we are now." Keith stated. "I'm friends with the coronor, and asked him to write up a fake report so I could carry on my own investigation."

Chris sighed a sigh of relief, which was still etched in sadness. It still didn't bring his mother back. "I want to help with the investigation."

"Out of the question." Keith stated bluntly.

"Either I do it with you or I do it without you, but I'm now officially an employee of Mars Investigations." Chris said as he grabbed his computer and stuck it in his bag. "I'll see you at home." Chris stated as he walked out of the office, leaving Keith with a worried look on his face.

**Mars Apartment - Night**

_Trajedy blows through your life like a tornado, uprooting everything. Creating chaos. You wait for the dust to settle and then you choose. You can live in the wreckage and pretend it's still the mansion you remember. Or you can crawl from the rubble and slowly rebuild._

_How do you rebuild? You face the tornado head on and make it pay for what it took from you, at least that's what I plan on doing. They said it was suicide. That she didn't want to go on living._

_I now know that to be false. She WAS murdered, I'm sure of it.  
Now, the only thing left is to find out who did it._

Chris sat at the desk in his room, typing on his computer. Checking his email, he stopped, his gaze became intense.

_One new email from...VMars._

He opened the email, and began reading.

_Chris,_

_If you are reading this email, it means that I'm no longer with you. That's a lie, because I'll always be with you, but you just can't see me._

_There's so many things that I wish I would have gotten to see.  
Your graduation. You getting married, having a child. All things you still need to do. Do them for me. Mourn, but move on. Don't let life slip passed you as I have._

_I know you have so many questions, and this letter is meant to answer them for you. First off, take care of your Gramps.  
He'll need you more than you'll ever know. Be each other's strength, and you'll both get through this._

_Secondly, I always told you that your father didn't want anything to do with you. It was a lie, and I'm sorry, Baby,  
but it was what I thought was the best thing for you at the time, but I don't want you to always think about why he didn't care to be around. It's because I never told him about you. I just left. Left and started a new, safer life._

_Things are going to get tough for you, now. Just follow your insticts. And I want you to have the chance, when you're ready, to meet your father. His name is L..._

_L? L what? Why would she just stop writing? Maybe she was interrupted?_

The letter just ended. Chris' eyes went wide.

_Did mom know she was going to die? Or was this just a precautionary measure she took in case something DID happen to her? I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I owe her that much._

**_Please read and respond. Thanks for all the feedback I have gotten so far, and am looking forward to more reviews. Hopefully, they will all continue to be possitive. I know who Chris' father is at this stage, and I'm sure you guys have your theories, which I'm glad to hear, but let me just say it may or may not be what you all are thinking. I'm definitely gonna throw some twists in about that. And I think Veronica's murderer is going to suprise you all as well, but that's down the line, for now, I hope you enjoy the new characters, as well, as the old ones that are own by the brilliant Rob Thomas._**


	5. Hey, Mrs Robinson Part 1

**Mars Apartment - Morning**

Chris sighed heavily as he flips through the pages of a Neptune High yearbook. Class of 2006. The year his mother graduated.

_It's funny how much you can tell from a yearbook photo. Who the popular kids were, who the geeks were, and who just didn't care what you think about them._

_It's sad to think that people define themselves in one of these categories as if it actually means something. Mom taught me early on to just be yourself, but that still places me in one of those categores, doesn't it?_

_So, why am I forcing myself to look through the rapidly faded styles of 2006? Well, I guess it's the obvious. Tracing down every guy in Neptune at the time of my mother's pregnancy who's name begins with L. Rather tedious I know, but it's better than sticking to the obvious._

_Logan Echolls. My mom's main squeeze throughout high school and the beginning of college. It seems logical that it'd be him, why else had Gramps met with him that night? The biggest question I need to answer is whether or not I'm ready to admit that Logan Echolls could be my father._

_I've looked through the entire yearbook for a week now, and there's no one else that it could be._

Chris's eyes left the book at the sound of the door opening,  
and he quickly hid it under his bed. Jumping up, he grabbed his bookbag and headed out to meet his grandfather.

"Hey, Gramps." Chris said as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water. "You look tired." He said looking at a very exhausted Keith.

"It's the price you pay when you're the resident superhero"  
Keith said jokingly.

"Don't superheroes do good deeds without financial compensation?" Chris smirked. "I think you're a capitalist."

"Well, Superman never had a 17 year old boy to feed and clothe now did he?" Keith retorted.

"I'm just saying." Chris said as he headed for the door.

"You gonna be home tonight? Was thinking of having mexican night." Keith asked.

"Sounds good. Bye." Chris said as he exited the door.

**Neptune High - Day**

_I haven't told Gramps about the email yet. I think it would cause too many problems in our relationship if he were to know that in addition to looking into my mother's murder, I'm also trying to find out who my father is._

Chris made his way passed the journalism office, his head turned as he heard a loud thud. Making his way into the office, he saw Ms. Montgomery.

"Dammit." Ms. Montgomery said as she began picking up some files she had dropped on the floor.

"Everything alright, Ms. Montgomery?" Chris asked as he walked further into the room.

"Oh!" Ms. Montgomery said as she jumped up. "You scared me"  
She said, now smiling. "Sorry, yes. Everythings fine." She said, a look of disbelief filled her face.

"That was very convincing." Chris stated as picked up a loose piece of paper that had fallen and handed it to her. "You sure you're okay?"

"No. Actually, I'm not." Ms. Montgomery stated with a heavy sigh. "It's my wallet." She said with a sigh. "It was stolen.  
That's the second time this year."

"That sucks." Chris replied.

"Understatement. I JUST got all my credit cards changed, and now I have to do it again, and who knows if that'll even work?" Ms. Montgomery sighed.

"Well, have you tried locking your purse up?" Chris stated.

"Every day, and it still get's stolen." Ms. Montgomery said.

"Has the drawer been broken into?" Chris asked.

"No." Ms. Montgomery replied.

"Does anyone else besides you have a key?" Chris asked.

"Just my T.A.'s, but there's no way it could be one of them"  
She stated assurringly.

"Never say never." Chris stated. "Okay, so here me out. I'll need a list of all of your T.A.'s for your classes." He stated.

"Why?" Ms. Montgomery stated.

"So I can find out who's doing this." Chris replied. "That way we'll know, and we can get your stuff back." He said with a smirk.

"And just how are YOU going to do that?" Ms. Montgomery stated with a small smirk on her lips.

"Leave the details to me, just get me that list." Chris stated.

Ms. Montgomery began writing on a piece of paper, and handed it to Chris once she was finished.

"I'll be in touch." Chris said as he slipped the piece of paper in his back pocket, and walked out of the classroom,  
leaving Ms. Montgomery there, a small smile as he left the room.

**Neptune High - Day**

_Okay, so, maybe I have a small crush on my journalism teacher,  
but crushes never hurt anyone. I mean, how often do you meet a 21 year old teacher?_

Chris looked to Penny as he took a small bite of food.

"So, what? You're Dick Tracey now?" Penny said with a small smirk.

"I'm just helping out a teacher." Chris said with a shrug.  
"It's not a big deal."

"Right. So, is she paying you?" Penny asked.

"No." Chris stated.

"So, you're just doing this out of the goodness of you're heart, and not out of hope she'll repay you with a little tender lovin'?" Penny said with a serious look on her face.

"I'm a very chivalrous man." Chris said with a smirk.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that." Penny stated and was about to comment further when Claire Casablancas took a seat at their table.

Chris and Penny look at each other and then around at the other students. This wasn't something that usually happened.  
"Can we help you?" Chris asked somewhat shocked and annoyed that the girlfriend of the guy that duct taped him to the flagpole was now sitting at his table.

"Listen, I have to make this quick because just the meer fact that I'm here is making me lose cool points by the nano second. So, I'm gonna cut to the chase." Claire stated with a sigh.

Chris awaited a response.

"So, my mom's a total bitch and I had a minor accident with the jag, and now she said I can't go to Michelle Lasser's party on Saturday." Claire stated.

"Oh, no, woh is you." Penny said sarcastically.

"Why does this matter to me?" Chris asked, ammused by Penny's comment.

"Well, you're grampa is a private investigator and your mother is like a living legend around this school." Claire stated.  
"Not in a good way, of course. So I need you to dig up some dirt on my mom, so I'll have some leverage to go to Michelle's part." Claire said with a devious grin.

Penny scoffed. "Yeah, like we're gonna help you." Penny said as she looked to Chris, and her face went blank. "Right,  
Chris?"

Chris looked away for a moment and then looked back at Claire.  
"Okay. $1000, plus expenses." Chris said with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me?" Claire asked.

"I'm a busy man, Claire, and if I'm to put my other cases on the backburner, I'm gonna need some financial compensation"  
Chris said as he leaned back.

Claire glared at him spitefully. "Fine. But I expect results by Friday." Claire said as she stood up and quickly walked away.

Chris looked to Penny. "Now, that's how you do business." He said as they both laughed.

_**Thanks to all your kind words. It's been a blast writing this so far. One question I have for everyone is who does everyone want the father to be? Just taking a poll to see if I'll be pleasing the majority of my audience.**_


	6. Hey, Mrs Robinson Part 2

**Mars Investigation - Evening**

Chris looked at the list of names that Ms. Montgomery had left for him. A few of the names had been crossed off.

_It's amazing how much you can find out about someone by just seeing who their parents are. For instance, Henry Lancaster,  
Ms. Montgomery's first period T.A. His father, Dr. Lancaster,  
world renowned brain surgeon, and his mother, a former super model, who does commercials for some kind of make-up. Now,  
when someone's parents make $500,000 dollars a year, it's highly unlikely that they'd need to steal a high school teacher's money._

_Neptune is the town without a middle class. The few stragglers that make it into Neptune High, are the ones who'd need to get their fingers a little sticky._

"Hello?" Ms. Montgomery stated as she walked into the office.  
She spotted Chris and made her way over to him. "Hi, Chris."

"Ms. Montgomery." Chris said a little flustered.

"Please. Call me Izzy." She said with a smile. "I feel ancient when you call me that." She chuckled.

"Sorry. So, about why I called you. I'm making some headway,  
but I have a question." Chris stated.

"Okay." Izzy said as she took a seat.

"Do you think you can remember when you noticed your wallet going missing? Maybe you could narrow down the period that it might have been stolen." Chris asked.

"Well. It has to be after lunch. So, period's fifth and sixth, I'm guessing. But everyone has a key." Izzy stated.

"Mostly likely it's someone in a certain period. Most thiefs aren't going to risk themselves being seen in your office at an odd time." Chris stated.

Izzy smirked. "Aren't you the little Hardy boy."

"Hopefully, I'm the cute one." Chris said as he stood up and walked a file over to one of the cabinets.

"Oh, most definitely." Izzy said, now realizing that she had crossed the line. Chris, immediately looked to Izzy, and smirked.

Izzy stood up, a bit embarrassed now. "Well, it was good seeing you." She said with a small smile. "But I really should be getting home. Have an important class tomorrow, as you would know. You...being one of my students and all."

"Right." Chris smiled. "I'm working very hard on that assignment." He stated as he looked to the side and saw that his Gramps had just gotten in.

"Bye." Izzy said nervously as she passed Keith and waved. "Hi." She said as she exited the building.

"Do I have another case?" Keith asked.

"Nope. I have it handled." Chris said with a smile. "Just a school project."

"She go to your school?" Keith asked.

"She's my teacher." Chris said as he gathered his stuff.

"Well, that's nice." Keith said a bit confused.

"So, I just stopped off here to pick up a few things, after, I'm heading home for dinner. See you there?" Keith asked.

"Yeah. I just have to stop off at the library first. I could stop and get a movie too, if you want?" Chris asked.

"Sure. I'll see you at home." Keith stated.

"Bye, Gramps." Chris said as he exited the office.

**Neptune Town Square - Evening**

Chris is sitting in his parked car across the street from The Finger Hut, a small cafe in the middle of town. He's staring at a woman. Gretchen Casablancas. Claire's mother.  
She was definitely hot, if you went for that plastic everything kind of look.

_It's scary how much some kids know about their parents. Claire was able to give me a detailed schedule of where her mother would be throughout the day. The Finger Hut wasn't on the list, which is the red flag that maybe her mother has something to hide._

Chris sat up in his seat when Gretchen got a call from someone, and quickly left the cafe, and began walking towards the Neptune Grand, which was just next door.

**Neptune Grand - Night**

Chris quickly got out of his car and made his way into the Neptrune Grand, following Gretchen very non-chalantly, as if he were just a guest in the hotel.

As she stepped onto the elevator, he quickly made his way in there with her, and noticed that she had gave him the once over.

The elevator ride seemed like it went forever, and when the doors slowly opened, Gretchen made her way off the elevator and made her way down the hall, to room, 211.

_Bingo._

As the elevator doors, closed again, Chris pulled out his phone quickly and dialed the number to the Neptune Grand.

"Hi, can you connect me to room 211 please." Chris asked as the phone was answered by one off the hotel staff.

"I'm sorry sure. Mr. Echolls has a do not disturb on his telephone calls, can I take a message please.?" The staff member stated.

"No. It's alright. I'll try again later." Chris said as he hung up.

_It seems that Mr. Echolls is in fact cheating on Mrs. Echolls.  
What are the odds._

The elevator stopped and Chris got off quickly, and made his way out of the Neptune Grand quickly, and as he turned a corner, he ran into none other than Logan Echolls.

_If Logan Echolls is here, than who's up...oh my God. Logan isn't having an affair. It's Lincoln. He's sleeping with Mrs. Casablancas._

"Excuse you." Logan stated, seeming annoyed.

"Umm...sorry, I...uhh..." Chris stammered.

_Come on, don't loose your cool. So, you're standing in front of the man that could potentially be your father, a man who represents everything that you hate._

"You...uuuhhhh..." Logan said somewhat mockingly. "Who are you?" He asked. "You're new around here aren't you?"

"Yeah. Just moved here." Chris responded. "After my mother committed suicide." Chris said somewhat harshly, knowing that Logan would quickly figure it out.

Logan's face went cold. "You're Veronica Mars' kid?"

"The one and only." Chris stated.

Logan looked at where he had just come out of. "Aww...you are your mother's child, aren't you? What is it today? Cheating spouse? Pregnant girl unsure of who the father is?  
Do you people ever focus on your own lives instead of looking for ways to ruin everyone elses?"

Chris glared. "Got something to hide, Mr. Echolls?" Chris stated trying to keep his emotions down. "Instead of worrying about what I'm doing, maybe you should focus on your own ass of a kid." Chris said as he made his way away from Logan and towards his car, his emotions fighting to come across.

_There he is, ladies and gentlemen. My potential father. Wouldn't you just die to have Logan Echolls as a father?_

Chris got into his car and sped off quickly. He still had work to do, and it was no time to get too emotional. He couldn't believe that Lincoln and Mrs. Casablancas were having an affair.

_What is Claire gonna do when she finds out? Hopefully, she'll go all Lorenna Bobbet on him, and bring to the end any chance of the Echolls name going passed Satan and his son._

-------------------------------------------------------

**_Thanks for your comments. Chris will have a meeting with each of his potential fathers before we find out for sure who his father is. I will tell you that by next chapter, Chris will get kissed, and we'll find another option as to who Chris's father will be. Any ideas on who Chris' first kiss in Neptune is going to be? Or how about who the next potential father is going to be? Please review and respond._**


	7. Hey, Mrs Robinson Part 3

**Neptune High - Next Day**

Chris stood at his locker staring towards Claire and Lincoln.

_Wonder how she'll react to the fact that her boyfriend is sleeping with her mother. It's kind of bittersweet. One of the worst girls in school is getting just what she deserves, yet I feel terrible having to give her the bad news. Mom always said it was the worst part of the job._

Chris became sidetracked as he noticed his next target. A tall latino, boy by the name of Oscar Delgado.

_Oscar Delgado. Izzy's 6th period T.A. Out of all of them, he was the only one who didn't live in the prestigious 90909 zip code._

Oscar went to his locker and Chris was right there with him.  
"Oscar, Oscar, Oscar." Chris said in a disiplinary tone. "Steal any good wallets lately?"

Oscar's eyes rolled. Chris had only been here a short while and already, word has gotten around that Chris liked to stick his nose into other peoples' business. "What the hell are you talking about Mars?"

"Well, Ms. Montgomery, the teacher you T.A. for 6th period's wallet was stolen." Chris stated.

"And I'm the suspect?" Oscar retorted.

"All her other T.A.'s are way too rich and stupid to do it, and that only leaves you." Chris said as he looked to Oscar's wrist. "That's a nice watch there, Oscar."

"I know. It was just sitting in my locker this morning"  
Oscar said admiring the watch.

"You want me to believe that a watch that cost more than my grandfather's yearly income just appeared in your locker"  
Chris said with disbelief.

"It's what happened." Oscar replied.

Hilary Vasquez made her way up to both of them. "Hey, Oscar"  
She said with a smile, and then she saw Chris. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing, Hil. Chris here was just grilling me about a missing teacher's wallet." Oscar said as he grabbed a book from his locker.

Hilary's face nearly went pale. Chris noticed. "So, Oscar,  
you two been friends for long?"

"Best friends since kindergarten." Oscar replied with a smirk.

"Wow...a platonic relationship for 12 years, that's gotta be a record. No feelings for one another?" Chris stated, knowing he was bating them.

"I guess." Oscar responded. "She's like my sister. I can tell her anything."

Chris noticed Hilary's depressed expression.

_Gotcha. It's so nice when they play right into your hands._

"So, Hillary, is there anything you want to add to that?" Chris stated. "I'll find out anyway. It's best you just tell me up front."

Hillary swallowed hard. Oscar rolled his eyes. "So now you think it's Hillary?"

"She has access to your keys doesn't she?" Chris stated. "If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

Oscar looked to Hillary. "Tell him you didn't do it." He said as he could see that there was a guilty look on her face.  
"Hill?" Oscar questioned.

Hilary began to cry. "I'm sorry, Oscar. I just wanted to get you a present. To show how much I loved you."

"Did you try telling him first?" Chris interjected.

"I can't believe this." Oscar said as he slammed his locker and rushed away.

_Oh, great. Is that pangs of guilt that I'm feeling? I think so._

"Where's the wallet?" Chris asked.

Hillary pulled it out of her backpack and handed it to Chris.

"I'm assuming all you bought was that watch for Oscar." Chris stated.

"Yes." Hillary replied.

"And I'm assuming you'll be paying Ms. Montgomery back for said watch, correct." Chris stated.

"Yes, I will. Is she going to press charges?" Hillary asked scared.

"I don't know. She'll be in touch." Chris stated as he walked away.

**Neptune Navigator - Day**

Chris made his way into the journalism room and saw Izzy sitting at her desk. "Well, hello, Ms. Montgomery." He said as he walked over to her desk.

"Chris. I'm assuming you have good news?" Izzy asked.

"I do." Chris said as he handed her her wallet. "It was Hillary Vasquez, Oscar Delgado's friend. It seems that she has deep feelings for him and decided that if she could get him the perfect present, he'd realize that he is in love with her." Chris sighed. "Oscar had no idea, and Hillary is willing to pay you back for what she spent, and it's up to you to decide on whether or not to press charges."

Izzy sighed. "No. I mean, we all do stupid things for love,  
don't we?" She said with a small smirk.

"We certainly do." Chris said staring deeply into Izzy's eyes.  
Izzy staring straight back. "So, I guess we're done here."

"I guess so." Izzy said as she brushed a piece of hair back behind her ear.

"Well, see ya." Chris said as he turned to walk away.

"Bye." Izzy said as she look almost disappointed.

Chris whipped around. "We should go out."

"Huh?" Izzy stated.

"A date. Me and you should have one." Chris announced quietly.  
This wasn't exactly legal after all.

"Please tell me you're joking. You're my student." Izzy replied.

"You're a college student who got roped into teaching a class because the school is too cheap to get a real teacher"  
Chris stated with a smirk. "And you already think I'm cute.  
So, what's the big deal."

"I could get fired!" Izzy stated.

"You know, in all this ramblings about it being the wrong thing, not once did you mention that you didn't want to." Chris said with a smirk.

Izzy blushed and couldn't help but smile. "Fine. I'll give you a call."

Chris smiled widely as he backed out of the room, waving quickly before he exited the room.

_Guess I just found my Mrs. Robinson. Now it's onto the vile wicked witch of the west._

**Neptune High - Day**

Chris is sitting with Penny eating his lunch when out of no where, Claire comes and sits next to him.

"So, it's Friday." Claire announced.

"Isn't that cute. She knows the days of the week." Chris said sarcastically.

"Cut the crap, Mars, and tell me what I want to know." Claire stated.

Chris nodded for Penny to leave and she did so without question.  
"Are you sure you want to know, because I found something.  
Something you're REALLY not going to like."

"I'm a big girl, Chris. I can handle it." Claire said annoyed that this was taking so long.

"Okay. Here it goes." Chris said with a sigh. "You're mother is having an affair."

"Ha. That's brilliant." Claire said with a smirk. "She'll never ground me again." She said laughing. "You know with whom?"

"That's the problem." Chris stated. "It's with Lincoln."

"My Lincoln?" Claire stated, her face now filled with sadness.

"Yeah. I thought it was with Logan, but I ran into him down the block at the same time a Mr. Echoll's was checked into the Neptune Grand." Chris said with a sigh. "I really am sorry."

"You will be if you breathe a word of this to anyone." Claire said as she stood up, and walked straight over to Lincoln.  
Saying a few things in his ear, his face went cold. "WE'RE OVER!" Claire screamed so the whole student body could hear it.

Claire walked over to Chris and pulled him harshly into a kiss, and quickly pushed him away.

Chris was shocked and looked to Lincoln who had a not too happy face.

_Great. Kissing me right after you break up with my sworn enemy is sure to solidify our hatred of one another._

**Mars Apartment - Night**

Chris sighed as he walked into the apartment.

_What an interesting week. I met my potential father. Got a date for Saturday night, and got kissed by my potential half brother's girlfriend. I'm really a lucky guy_.

Chris made his way into his room and saw a box. With a letter on top of it. Opening the letter, he read it.

_Chris,_

_This was some of your mother's stuff that I found. Thought you might like it. Be back late._

_Love,_

_Gramps_

Chris began to dig through the box, picking up a book and watched as a piece of paper fell out of the pages of the book.

Picking it up, he noticed it was another letter, this time directed towards Veronica.

_Veronica,_

_Please call me. I heard about the pregnancy and if this baby is mine, I want to be a part of his life. Please call. You know the number._

_Lamb._

_Lamb?! Another L. Does this mean that Sheriff Lamb and my mother had a relationship? Why hadn't she ever told me about that? All I ever heard about Sheriff Lamb was that he was a pompeous ass who couldn't do his job._

_Potential father number 2 come on down._

-----------------------------------------------------

**_Well, here is the concluding chapter to Hey, Mrs. Robinson.  
Sorry it came in pieces, but I was inspired throughout the day and really want to start planning out the next story.  
Review and respond. Really interested in what you like/dislike about Chris and the tangled web that is Neptune High. Thanks again for all the response._**


	8. Daddies Dearest Part 1

**Mars Apartment - Night**

Chris and Izzy make their way up to the front door, both of them seem a bit nervous.

_Well, who knew a third date could be so nerve wracking. Maybe it was the underlying "3rd date rule" that states sex is expected, and in this certain case one person would be losing their virginity, and another would be breaking the law. Not great choices for some stupid tradition._

"I had fun tonight." Izzy said with a smile as she glanced towards Chris.

"Me too." Chris said with a nervous sigh.

"Well, I'll call you." Izzy said as she turned to walk away.

**Now's your shot. You either let it slip away or you go for it.**

Chris grabbed Izzy's arm and pulled her around into a passionate kiss. Izzy responded nicely as she pushed him up against his front door. Chris grabbed his keys in his pocket and began to unlock the door all the while continuing to kiss Izzy. Thank God, Gramps was out of town on business, because, it would be the end of his life, if he was caught.

Chris finally got the door unlocked and slowly opened it, leading Izzy in with him. They still couldn't break apart. She began unbuttoning his shirt before they both heard a loud clearing of someone's throat.

Both of them turn to see Keith sitting on the chair and bemused smirk on his face. "Hi. I'm Keith Mars, Chris' grandfather." Keith said with a small wave.

_Oh, crap._

_Mars Apartment - Next Day_

Chris slowly creeped out of his room, his book bag in hand as he made his way passed his Gramps' room.

_Sneaking out of my own house. There should be a girl attached to my arm right now, but now, I'm just trying to avoid the eventual grounding that'll ensue once Gramps has "the talk" with me. Hopefully, if I can avoid him as long as I can, he'll forget, and I'll escape unscathed._

Chris made it towards the kitchen, and he reached for the door .

"Morning, Sunshine." Keith said.

Chris turned to see Keith sitting in the chair with a cup of coffee. "Morning." Chris said with a fo-smile on his face.

"Sit." Keith said with a smirk as he took a sip of coffee.

Chris walked over to the chair, rolling his eyes. Slumping down, he looked to Keith. "I'm gonna be late."

"This won't take long." Keith said as he leaned forward, as he searched his pocket, he pulled something out. It was a condom. He held it out for Chris. "Use it."

Chris became extremely uncomfortable, and quickly took the condom. "You're derranged." He said with a small chuckle as he stood up.

"Go get 'em, Stud." Keith said in a manly growl. "Seriously, though. I don't want any great grandbabies any time soon."

"Yeah, yeah. No glove, no love." Chris said as he walked out of the door.

**Neptune High - Day**

**It's been 1 month since I found out that Sherrif Lamb and my mother had a relationship or fling, something to cause Lamb to think he might be my father. Why wouldn't she tell anyone? Or does Gramps know and just won't tell me?**

Chris grabbed a book from his locker when Penny came up. "Hey, Stranger."

"Hey, P." Chris said as he turned to look at his best friend.

"Hey?" Penny stated. "You've been like this ghost for the past few weeks, and all I get is a 'hey'?"

"I'm sorry. I've been real busy." Chris said a little bit nervously.

_I'm a horrible friend. But it's not like I can tell her I've dating the journalism teacher. Or that my mother was actually murdered, and me and my gramps are looking into it. The fewer people who know about this the easier and safer everything will be._

"Busy?" Penny asked, a little disappointed with the answer.

"Yeah." Chris said plainly.

"Whatever." Penny said getting upset. "Listen, when you're ready to actually be what a best friend should be, you come find me." Penny said as she stormed off.

_Best friend? Well, I guess when your each other's only friend that's what it makes you, and now she's pissed, and I have no one to sit with at lunch. Well, it's official. I'm a dick._

Chris made his way to Izzy's classroom, and walked in. "Hey."

Izzy looked up from the homework she was grading and smiled.  
"Hey."

Chris took a seat in the front row, and smiled. It was a few minutes before class, and he figured he could get some alone time with her. "So, about last night..."

"Yeah." Izzy stated with a shrug. "Your gramps isn't going to say anything, is he?"

"No. We're fine in that aspect. And besides me being really embarrassed, I should get over it in twenty years or so." Chris said with a smirk.

"It's fine. It happens. Next time, we'll just go to my place." Izzy said with a sultry smile.

"Next time, huh?" Chris said, not able to contain his smile. He really liked this girl...this woman.

"If you're good." Izzy said with a wink as the bell rang, and the students began to pile into the classroom.

**Neptune High - Later that Day**

Chris sighed as he took a bit of the apple he had brought for lunch.

_So, I didn't think that Penny would really get so bent about this whole thing. I'm sure she doesn't tell me every detail about her life._

_Look at me. Trying to rationalize the fact that I've been a total jerk, and make it seem like it's all her fault. Mom would be so proud._

Chris' eyes went to the seat next to him. It was Claire Casablancas.

"Chris." Claire said with a hint of distaste in her voice.

"Vampirella." Chris responded.

"Such vulgerness there, Mars. If I didn't know any better, I would think that our kiss meant nothing." Claire said with a fake pouting look on her face.

"It meant something." Chris said, his face cold. "It meant that it took me 8 hours to get that taste out of my mouth."

"Attitude. What happen? You and your girlfriend have a fight"  
Claire said with a smirk.

Does she know something? There's no way. Me and Izzy have been extra careful.

"I don't have a girlfriend." Chris stated a bit confused.

"The brunette with the pigtails. The one with no fashion sense whatsoever. Follows you around like a puppy dog?"

"Penny?" Chris asked. "We're just friends."

"I see." Claire said with another smirk.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" Chris asked.

"I just saw you sitting here alone, and I thought..." Claire started.

"You thought that you'd make Lincoln jealous by sitting with me, since he and I are enemies." Chris interrupted. "I'm not as dumb as you all think I am." Chris said as he stood up.

"You wanna make him jealous, go whore around with someone else,  
cause I'm not interested." Chris walked away in a huff as he left Claire there alone, a bemused smirk on her face.

**Mars Investigations - Later that Day**

Chris sighed as he sat at the desk.

_Penny still hasn't shown up for work. If she is constantly avoiding me, how am I ever going to make this up to her? Or at least apologize. Unfortunately, that wasn't why I'm here._

Chris' eyes went to Keith's safe in his office.

_Gramps had agreed to keep me in the loop on any information he found out about my mother's case, but that wasn't good enough.  
I wanted the leads. Who he thought could be the suspects?  
Maybe I would see something he didn't. After all, I am my mother's son._

Chris walked over to the safe.

_I've had the combination for a week now, and this is the first time I've been alone to use it._

The safe opened, and Chris was shocked to see an entire box marked "VM". He took it out, and opened the most recent file.  
It was just a piece of paper, in his mother's handwriting.

_Dates. What did this dates mean? 1/3/05, 1/8/03, and 5/1/08.  
The last one was just a few months after I was born._

Chris continued to look at the paper. Now, reading the notes Keith had made on it. Next to the first date it had said that Logan Echolls has no alibi, on the second date, Don Lamb had no alibi, and on the third date, both were unaccounted for.

_Does Gramps think that either Lamb and Logan Echolls are responsible for the death of my mother? Could any of them actually kill my mother?_

_Maybe it was time to pay a little visit to Sheriff Lamb._

**_Thanks for being so patient. I've had some computer problems,  
but they have been fixed, and I should be updating more frequently. Interested in what you guys think. Now, who do you think is the murderer? It could be Lamb, it could be Logan, or it could be someone completely different. I know who it is, just like I know who his father is, but I love people speculating._**

**_Also interested in who you fancy Chris having a relationship with, since we know that he and Izzy can't last forever...or can they? Anyway. Please review and respond._**


	9. Daddies Dearest Part 2

**Neptune Sheriff's Department - Next Day**

Chris sat in his car staring at the people walking in and out of the building. His face was covered in fear, and his mouth was dry.

_I've been sitting in my car for an hour now. Who knew that confronting your potential father would be so nerve wracking?  
I wasn't this nervous when I talked to Logan...then again, at the time, I had no idea that he could be my father. Suck it up. You being a girl._

Chris breathed a heavy sigh as he stepped out of his car, and made his way inside the building. He slowly walked up to the counter.

"Can I help you?" An older woman asked in a heavy accent.

"Inga, right?" Chris asked.

"Yes." Inga responded, a bit confused.

"I'm Chris Mars, Veronica Mars' son." Chris said hoping she would remember.

"Oh my gosh." Inga said with a smile. "You are the spitting image of your mother." She said a frown forming. "I'm so sorry to hear about her passing away."

"Thanks." Chris said scratching his head. "So, is the Sheriff in?"

"Yes, let me see if he's available." Inga said as she walked over to the office, and came out. "He can see you."

Chris walked into the office and stared at the older man at the desk. Fear enveloped him.

"Mr. Mars, how can I help you?" Lamb asked. He seemed a bit nervous, and Chris was confused as to why.

_Maybe daddy dearest knows he's my father, or maybe he's got something to hide, and is hoping I didn't inherit my mother's knack for investigating crime._

"Just here on business." Chris stated confidently, but inside he was sweating like a pig.

"And you're well?" Lamb asked. "You're adjusting well in Neptune?"

Chris was taken aback at Lamb's obvious interest in Chris'  
well being. "I'm doing fine."

"Good. That's good." Lamb nodded as he sat up in his chair.  
"So, what business are you here about?"

"My mother's murder." Chris stated blantely.

"Excuse me?" Lamb said confused. "I don't mean to be insensitive, but your mother killed herself."

"Well, you came to that conclusion, and from what my mother told me about you, that alone is grounds for believing the exact opposite." Chris said a cold look on his face.

Lamb's interests are peaked, a small smirk on his face. "And what exactly makes you think it was murder? Besides my incompetance?"

"I have my reasons. And you shouldn't believe it either. After all, you and my mother were so close." Chris said.

Lamb coughed nervously. "I wouldn't exactly say that."

"Right. Of course not." Chris said.

Inga walked into the office. "Sheriff, there's someone here for you."

Lamb stood up and walked out of the office.

_Who knew this was going to be so easy?_

Chris made his way over to Lamb's coat, and searched it quickly.  
When he found what he needed, he pulled out a small container,  
and placed a small hair into it.

_If no one was going to be honest with me about who my father is. Then I'm just going to have to find out for myself._

Chris took a seat just as Lamb entered the room again. "So,  
you still haven't told me how I can help you?"

"I was just wondering if you could provide your whereabouts on these dates." Chris said as he handed him a piece of paper.

Lamb looked to the dates and then back to Chris. "I see"  
He said with a small chuckle. "I'm a suspect."

"You and my mother seemed to have a colorful past." Chris said with a smirk of his own. "And it could account for why my mother's death was ruled a suicide so quickly."

"I thought it was my incompetance." Lamb retorted.

"See, I think you're smarter than everyone gives you credit for." Chris stated.

"You do?" Lamb responded.

"Yep." Chris said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, thanks." Lamb stated.

"Well, we both know I got my mom's intelligence, so it doesn't bode well for you." Chris said as he stood up and headed towards the door.

"What about my alibi's?" Lamb asked.

"I'll get them later. I already got what I came for." Chris said not evening turning around, leaving a confused Lamb with a small smirk on his face.

_Well, that went well. I got diddly squat on the dates, and no new leads. At least on got a piece of hair. Hopefully, I can find out who my father is soon, so I could put that chapter of my life to rest._

_Now to pay Logan Echolls a visit._

**Echolls Residence - A few hours later**

Chris walked up to the front door, and knocked. When the door opened, Madison Sinclair answered. "Can I help you?" Madison asked in an annoyed tone.

_Bitch._

"Hi. I'm Chris Slater. A friend of Lincoln's." Chris lied.

"He's not home." Madison said with a roll of her eyes.

_Score!_

"We're supposed to meet here to go over a school assignment"  
Chris lied again.

"You're welcome to wait, he should be home soon." Madison said as she allowed Chris to walk in. "His room's up stairs to the left.

"Thanks." Chris said with a smile as he headed up stairs.

_Mom was right. She is as dumb as a doornail._

Chris walked right past Lincoln's room, and made his way for the master bedroom. Along the walls were various movie posters that Logan Echolls had stared in.

_The way mom described him. He wasn't the actor type, but I guess people change._

Chris made his way into the bathroom, and began to search through the drawers.

"You know there's any easier way." Logan stated as he stood in the door way.

Chris jumped. Scared. "Umm...I was just."

Logan pulled a piece of hair from his head and held it out for Chris. "This. You just looking to go from rags to riches." He said with a wry grin.

Chris rolled his eyes as he grabbed the piece of hair, and placed it in a separate container. "Actually I just want to know that I'm not related to the man that killed my mother."

"Is that so?" Logan said amused. "I heard it was suicide.  
Kind of cliche if I do say so myself. Indigo girls. Bathtub.  
Razor blade. Please...thought she was more original than that."

Chris winced at Logan's rather vulger behavior.

"Did I stike a nerve? Did I hurt Chris Mars...oh I'm sorry.  
Chris Slater's feelings?" Logan mocked.

"Not so much. Just adding to the millions of questions I have in my head." Chris responded.

"And what are those?" Logan asked.

"How could my mother love someone so defiantly evil as you"  
Chris said as he brushed passed Logan and headed down the stairs and out of the Echoll's house, extremely upset.

_What did my mom ever see in him? Maybe he was different once?  
Maybe she was going through a phase? But I know one thing. I wouldn't put it passed the guy to kill someone. People like that don't get that way overnight. Plus, his father was the one who killed Lilly Kane. Maybe it runs in the family?_

**Penny's House - Night**

Penny heard a knock on her door and made her way over to it. Opening the door, she saw Chris standing there.  
"What do you want?" She said still upset about before.

Chris looked to Penny, and before he could get any words out, he began to cry, and Penny quickly went to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Shhhh...it's okay." Penny said as she caressed the back of his head.

_Okay. So, I'm a really crappy friend._

**_Please review and respond._**


	10. Dirty Pictures Part 1

**Neptune High - Day**

_It's been 2 weeks since I showed up at Penny's door that night. I told her everything. She was forgiving, and we've been good ever since. It was crappy of me...to use my mother's murder investigation and my impending paternity investigation, but I needed my friend...my best friend, and now.  
there are no secrets between us...well...just one._

Chris pushed Izzy up against a wall and kissed her passionately. His hands caressed the sides of her body, resting at her hips as their tongues wrestled with each other.

"Chris." Izzy whispered as he moved his lips to her neck.

"Hmmm..." Chris responded as he continued kissing her neck.

"We really shouldn't be doing this here." Izzy stated.

Chris stopped and looked around. "We're in the west wing of the school that is closed down for renovations...who's going to catch us?" Chris said with a grin as he moved into kiss her again, but was stopped by Izzy's hand.

"We really should be more careful." She said with a sigh. "Come by my place tonight, and I promise you we'll continue where we left off." She said as she kissed his cheek and exited the building.

_Sometimes girls need to stop teasing. When you invite someone to an abandoned section of the school, you expect certain things to happen...now I have to find a cold shower before heading back to my regular scheduled programming._

Chris walked out from behind the tarp only to be confronted with Lincoln.  
"Woh. You make it a habbit of hanging out in abandoned buildings?" Chris said as he adjusted himself.

"I could ask you the same question." Lincoln said with annoyed look on his face. "I need your help."

"Do my ears deceive me?" Chris stated.

"Cut the crap. You gonna help me or not?" Lincoln asked.

"I'm gonna go with not." Chris said as he walked passed Lincoln and towards the exit.

"Might want to reconsider. That was Ms. Montgomery I saw coming out of here wasn't it? Imagine what this'd do to her career...not to mention the jail time." Lincoln said with a smirk.

Chris glared at him. "I help you and you don't mention this to anyone."

"That's the deal." Lincoln said with a smile. "I knew you'd see it my way."

_Never really felt what it was like to be on the other side of a blackmail, and I gotta say, I don't like it._

**Mars Investigations - Night**

_I don't like getting blackmailed, but at least Lincoln's "case" is rather cut and dry. Someone stole a notebook he had...which contained some rather naughty pictures of himself and Mrs. Casablancas...something he'd rather not allow to see the light of day. But tonight isn't about Lincoln's problems. It is about mine._

Chris and Keith were sitting at the desk eating some dinner. It was dimly lit by a small lamp on the desk.

"So how was school?" Keith asked.

"It was fine." Chris responded.

"Good." Keith stated as he took a bite of his food.

"Can I ask you a question, Gramps?" Chris asked.

"Sure." He replied.

"What did Logan Echolls used to be like?" Chris said blantantly. This was no time to be cander.

Keith sighed as he looked to his grandson. Knowing that he needed to know the truth, he took a deep breath. There had been too many lies in this family. "He was your basic punk kid, but he had a good heart. He loved your mother more than anything."

"What happened to him?" Chris questioned.

"Well, your mother left. Madison was pregnant shortly after that, and the rest is history. You live so long in that life, and it consumes you." Keith said with a shrug.

"Do you think that he's my father?" Chris watched his grandpa's reaction.

"I don't know." Keith stated.

"Do you think he killed her?" Chris asked the other question that had been burning inside of him.

"I don't know." Keith again stated.

"But you're not ruling him out, right?" Chris asked.

"No. 16 years ago I would have said not a chance, but now...with the man he's become...I'm not sure." Keith stated.

"What about..." Chris began, but was cut off by Keith.

"That's enough questions for tonight, k?" Keith said obviously upset by the topic at hand.

"Kay." Chris said with a sigh as he stood up from the desk. "I gotta run by the library. See ya at home?" He asked.

"Yup." Keith replied with a small wave as Chris left the building. Keith reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope with Chris' name and address on it. It was from the DNA Testing Company, and it was unopened.

**Casablancas Residence - Night**

Chris walked up to the door and knocked on it rather loudly. The door opened a much older Dick Casablancas answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Chris Mars...I needed to talk to Claire if that was okay." Chris said politely.

Dick's expression turned suddenly serious and simpathetic. "I'm sorry to hear about your mom, Dude. That must suck."

"Yeah. That's pretty much what it does." Chris said a bit awkwardly.

Dick smirked a bit. "I'm sorry...you remind me a lot of her. Logan was right." He said with a sigh. "Anyways, I'll go get Claire." He said as he retreated into her house.

_Logan was right, huh? Maybe Logan isn't the mean man he's aspiring to be?  
Maybe his heart is just broken? Maybe he's scared that I might find something on him relating to my mother's death?_

Claire emerged from the door a little annoyed, and wearing unicorn pjs. "What do you want?"

"YOu really are a peach. Has anyone ever told you that? Love the unicorns." Chris said with a smirk.

"What DO YOU want?" Claire said a little slower this time as if to indicate that Chris were stupid.

"Just give it back." Chris stated.

"Give what back?" She asked.

"We can do this the easy way...or the hard way." Chris said annoyed.

"I like it hard." Claire said with a smirk as she leaned against the door.

_This isn't going to be as easy as I thought._

_**Sorry for my absence, but I want to get back into writing this fic. Still interested in what you guys think. Any new takes on anything? The murderer?  
Chris' father? There is a hint in this chapter as to who the killer is, but it's only a hint to me...and it isn't easy to find...so bonus points if ya get the answer right. Please review and critisize. Little spoiler: Chris opens the letter next chapter! Can you guys wait that long? Hehehehe...Thanks.**_


	11. Dirty Pictures Part 2

**Neptune High - Day**

"So, how's the case?" Penny asked as she sat at the table picking at her food.  
Unless you're a part of something "important" like sports or cheerleading, you got stuck with something less than apetizing.

"Well, my only lead was Claire, and she claims she didn't do it." Chris said as he ate a bite of a pickle.

"But then again, she's Claire Casablancas." Penny said with a shrug. "Why are you helping Lincoln again? Don't we hate him?"

"A little more every day." Chris said with a smile as he took a bite of some kind of meat product.

"Then why?" Penny asked again.

Chris sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't say anything or freak out in any way."

"Cross my heart." Penny stated.

"Okay...he kind of caught me with someone...a girl." Christ started. "It was Ms. Montgomery." He said with worried about what she was going to think.

Penny's mouth dropped, but quickly closed. "Okay. I guess I should be happy that you at least told me, but are you crazy? No...nevermind...I'm not judging." She said with a shrug.

Chris sighed. "So, that's why I'm helping."

"Morning, Partner." Claire stated as she sat next to Chris. "We ready to begin?"

Penny gives Claire a weird look and then looked to Chris. "Oh yeah." He smiled.  
"Claire here wants to help with the case."

"Isn't that nice of me?" Claire said with a smirk.

"You a peach." Penny responded as she took a sip of soda. "I've got to head to the library, so I'll catch you later, Chris." She said with wave.

"Don't worry, Penny, I'll keep him safe." Claire said antagonizing her, but Penny just ignored her and walked away. "So, Sherlock, what's are next move?"

"Why again are you helping me?" Chris asked.

"Can't very well have pictures of my mother and ex-boyfriend getting into the wrong hands, now can I? Do you know what that'd do to my reputation around here?" Claire stated.

"And here I thought you were worried about your mother's potential jail time for sleeping with a minor." Chris said with a roll of his eye.

"Please. She didn't have a problem sleeping with my boyfriend." Claire said allowing some emotion to through.

Chris gave her a sympathetic gesture. "Well, does Lincoln have any enemies?"

Claire laughed. "Well, you, and half the school who he's been a asshole to."

Chris sighed. "Why can things ever be easy?"

**Mars Investigations - Night**

_I haven't seen Gramps in a while. Between my owns cases, my paternity, and my mom's murder investigation, my time at home is limited._

"Hey Grampa." Chris said as he walked into the office.

Keith shuffled some papers on his desk and looked up to Chris. "Hey, Sport"  
He said with a smile. "Long time no see." He said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I've been busy." He said with a shrug. "So, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Chris. Anything." Keith said as he stood up from the desk.

"Why did you go see Logan Echolls that night at the bar?" Chris said blantantly.

"Chris. This again?" Keith said frustrated.

"You never gave me an aswer." Chris stated firmly.

"I don't want to get into this." Keith said.

"If you thought he was connected to mom's murder, you wouldn't have gone to see him." Chris deduced.

"Chris." Keith said hoping to stop him from questioning.

"You think he's my father." Chris said as he tried to read what his grandpa was thinking.

"No. Yes. I don't know. He contacted me." Keith replied.

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Why do you think?" Keith asked, but not really expecting an answer. "You had just come to town. He wanted to know if it was possible that he were your father." Keith sighed.

"So you never suspected him of murder?" Chris stated feeling as if Keith had sent him on a wild goose chase.

Keith sighed. "No...I didn't want you getting involved in this. I won't let what happened to your mother happen to you." He stated.

"That's not your call to make." Chris said upset as he grabbed his stuff and left the office in a huff.

**Java the Hut - Night**

_Did I overreact? I don't think so. I've spent weeks...months trying to figure out who killed my mother, and for Grampa to mislead me to keep me safe? Sure,  
I expected it, but not that way. Luckily, I had a case to occupy my mind, but I'm not so sure that it'll work._

"Hey, Tiger." Claire said as she walked up to Chris' table. "Miss me?"

"Oodles." Chris said sarcastically. "Did you bring the list?"

"Yep. Everyone who hates Lincoln as much as I do." Claire said as she handed it to Chris. "What's our next move?"

"I honestly don't know." Chris said annoyed.

"What's your problem?" Claire stated.

"What's my problem? I'm working a case for someone I hate. I have a million other things on my mind like who my father is, and who killed my mother, and there's just not enough time in the day." Chris released.

_Way to go, Christopher. THat's how you should break your cover._

Claire looked to Chris with a sympathetic look...the first Chris had ever seen. "I took the pictures." She blurted.

"What?" Chris said confused.

"I took them. I couldn't let anyone see them." Claire responded. "I just wanted to make him sweat...to make him scared. I wanted him to feel what it was like to..." She stopped. "Anyways. I'm sorry I wasted your time"  
She said as she stood up and kissed Chris on the cheek.

Chris was a little dumbfounded at this revelation, and the kiss wasn't expected as well. Claire smiled softly at him as she turned and made her way to the door. Chris stared after her and jolted out of the haze he was in before he walked over to her and turned her around and kissed her.

They parted, and they both had confused looks on their faces. "Umm...I gotta go." Chris said as he left the building and left Claire to sift through what just happened.

_Wait to go, Chris. Like your life wasn't complicated enough._

**Mars Apartment - Night**

Chris walked into the apartment. All he wanted to do was sleep. He saw his grandpa sitting on a chair with a letter in his hand. "What are you still doing up?" Chris asked.

"This letter came for you yesterday." Keith began. "It's from DNA Testing Company." He said with a sigh. "I should have given it to you then, but I thought...I don't know what I thought, but I'm sorry." Keith said as he walked over to Chris. He handed the letter to him, and rested his hands on Chris'  
shoulders. "I just wanted to protect you. To give you a life away from this"  
He said with a sigh. "But you're your mother's son, and you can make your own decisions...so...if this is something you think you're ready to know...then open the letter." Keith said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Keith turned and headed towards his bedroom, taking one last look at Chris before he entered his room and shut the door.

_The answers to one of the millions of questions that I have. Am I ready to know who my father is? No. I'm not, but that doesn't matter. I HAVE to know.  
I need more answers. I need to know if Logan is a concerned parent or a scared murderer, or I need to know if I'm the product of some one night stand._

Chris opened the letter and unfolded the single piece of paper inside. As he read the letter, his eyes widened.

_Well, isn't this interesting._

_**I know, I'm evil, but I only promised that Chris would open the letter. Never said you'd find out who his father was. Gotta keep you guys wanting more.  
Anyways, the usual, please review and respond, next chapter you'll find out who Chris' father is, and we'll begin delving more into Veronica's murder. What did you guys think of the Chris/Claire situation? Any last guesses on who Chris' father is?**_

_**Something to look forward to: A new character will be joining our "cast" next chapter, as well as, an old character's return. Who will it be?**_


	12. Dates and Fathers Part 1

**Mars Investigation - Day**

_I've been sitting on the revelation of who my father is for a while now. Going on 2 weeks. I thought the hardest part was gonna be finding out who my father was, but now I can't even gather enough courage to confront him._

Keith walked through the front door of the building and looked at Chris. "Hey, Kiddo." He said as he walked over to the desk and set his stuff down.  
"I'm sorry the trip took me a little longer than I expected, but I guess that comes with the territory...and are you really going to let me babble on and not inform me of who my grandson's father?"

Chris was caught off guard. "Umm...I'm sorry, I haven't even told him yet."

"Why not?" Keith asked. "You know...I'm not gonna be around forever. And if you could form some kind of relationship with him, I think that'd be great"  
Keith said.

"I'm going to tell him. I'm just...I..." Chris grabbed his backpack. "I have to go to school first." He said as he made his way out of the office.

**Neptune High - Day**

_So, did I ever tell you that I am the master at avoiding the issue. I've managed to avoid both Izzy and Claire for the past 2 weeks. It's been easy.  
Just tell them that I'm on a case. Can't really get upset at you when you're looking into the murder of your mother._

Chris opened his locker and took out a notebook. When he closed the door, he jumped when he saw someone standing next to him. "Izzy." He said with a weak smile.

"Hey, Stranger." Izzy stated trying act as nonchalantly as possible. She was just talking with a student. "How've you been?"

"Okay. Busy." Chris stated with a shrug.

"Yeah, I can tell. So, got some time to kill?" Izzy said with a smirk. "They are doing some work on the gym...so it'll be closed all week."

Chris couldn't help but smile. "Sure." He said as he placed the notebook in his bag. "I'll meet you there in 15 minutes, yeah?"

"Sounds good." Izzy said as she walked away from him smiling.

Chris sighed slightly as he made his way towards the bathroom when a hand reached out from the girl's bathroom and grabbed him, pulling him in.

"What the hell?" Chris said as he turned around to see Claire. "Oh, it's you."

"Well, that's not exactly the welcome I was expecting. Then again, last time I saw you, you left me after you had kissed me." She said with a little annoyed. "You're avoiding me."

"You're smart." Chris said a little uncomfortable.

"Now, there's only 2 reasons I can think of that you'd be avoiding me." Claire said as she made her way closer to Chris. Her hand pressed up against his chest pushing him towards the wall. "Either you really don't like me...or you can't stop thinking about me." She said, the last part in a whisper as she was inches from his face.

Chris stared into her eyes, not really believing that this was really happening here and now. "This is too much. I've got so much on my plate right now, I can't handle this."

Claire sighed. "Sue it yourself." She said as she backed off keeping eye contact with him.

Chris looked as if he was having an inner conflict.

_You want to kiss her. That much is obvious, Chris, but the problem is that there is a dad waiting to find out he's your father, a murderer who needs to be found, and a hot older woman waiting for you in a gym...so why can't you just leave? Don't do it Mars. Just walk away._

Chris pushed himself off the wall and straightened himself out. He looked at Claire as he passed her, but before he made it to the door, he stopped.  
"Screw it." He said as he pulled Claire towards him and kissed her.

_Right now...distractions were a good thing._

"I'm sorry, I must be interrupting something." A girls voice stated as she entered the bathroom. She had wide smile.

"Oh my god." Claire said as she took a second look. "Laney?" Claire said as she ran over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm guessing you two know each other." Chris chimed in.

"Who's that? He's cute." Laney said with a smile.

"This is Veronica Mars' kid." Claire said looking between Chris and Laney.

"Wow...this is a little awkward." Laney said as she walked over to Chris and extended her hand. "I'm Laney Echolls', Logan Echolls' daughter.

_Huh?_

**Neptune High - Hours Later/Afternoon**

_A note from the Principal. What could he want to talk to me about now? I haven't done anything too wrong lately._

Chris walked into the office and saw that Sheriff Lamb was there waiting for him. "Sheriff Lamb. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Lamb stood up and sighed. "Got some bad news, Kid. It's your grandpa."

Chris' eyes widened. "What happened?"

**Neptune Memorial Hospital - Evening**

Chris walked into a hospital room and saw his Grandpa there. "What's the matter with him?"

Lamb walked in behind Chris. "He's in a coma. He was attacked at his office"  
Lamb said as he pulled out a file. "He managed to write this before he passed out." He said as he showed Chris the picture.

Chris looked at the picture.

_The dates. 1/3/05, 1/8/03, 5/1/08. Gramps must have figured out why they were important._

"I need to keep this." Chris said as he looked up to Lamb.

"Okay. That was just a copy anyway." Lamb said. "So, I need to make sure you got someone you can stay with. Family...friend...someone." He said looking around.

Chris could hardly think right now. Everyone in his life...his family, was gone...and now Keith may not make it. "Umm...you." Chris said softly, choking back the tears that threaten to escape.

"I what?" Lamb said a little confused.

"You're the only family I have. Blood relative anyway." Chris said as he finally looked up at Lamb.

Lamb almost fell over at this revelation. "You mean...I'm you're...you're my..." Lamb took a deep breath.

"Yeah, well as much fun as a family reunion sounds, I've got somewhere I have to be." Chris said as he left Lamb to stew over the revelation.

**C-Mac Industries - Night**

_So, Don Lamb is my father, and now he knows. Complications just seem to follow me around, but I can't worry about that now. Gramps was getting close to something, so it's up to me to find out who he was getting close to._

Chris made his way into the building and into an office. "Hey Aunt Mac." He said with a weak smile.

An older Cindy Mackenzie made her way over to him and gave him a hug. "Hey,  
Sport." She said with a sympathetic squeeze.

"Wish this was a social call, AC, but I need your help." Chris said as he pulled out the picture.

_**Okay, so, Lamb is Chris' father. I know that that's not what everyone thought,  
or expected, or wanted, but I hope it won't hinder readership. As usually please review and respond. I'd love to hear what you'd guys would like to see in the future. Veronica Mars' murder will be wrapping up in the next few chapters.**_


	13. Dates and Fathers Part 2

**Neptune Memorial Hospital - Night**

_Okay, so, Aunt C, is currently working her magic on finding the connection of the dates my mother had written down before she was murdered, and I'm heading full force into the investigation. I will not rest until the person responsible is behind bars. It's a little cliche, but hey, if it works, it works._

Chris stared down sadly at his comatose grandfather. "We're close, Gramps, I can feel it." He whispered softly as he squeezed his shoulder as if to comofort his grandfather.

The doctor made his way in the room, and coughed to let Chris know that he was there.

"Hello, Doctor, how's he doing?" Chris asked.

"No change." The doctor said sympathetically.

"Will he ever wake up?" Chris asked.

"It's hard to say. He's breathing on his own, so it's a matter of time. He could wake up tomorrow, it could be a few weeks." The doctor said with a sigh. "I wish I had more for you."

"It's okay, Doc. I'll just make sure that when he wakes up, his assailant is in jail." Chris said narrowing his eyes as he left the hospital room.

**Lamb Apartment - Night**

_Why couldn't I just stay at my place is beyond me. I guess Lamb wanted to make sure I was safe since Grandpa's accident. I guess that'd be his parental intuition._

"So, this is my place." Lamb said nervously as he set Chris' bag down on the floor.

Chris looked at the apartment. It wasn't much bigger than his and Keith's, but it was very clean.

_Someone has a case of OCD._

"I'll take the couch, so you can have the bed, if you want." Lamb stated.

"It's cool, I can take the couch." Chris said not wanting to be an inconvenience.

"No...no...it's fine." Lamb stated. "I fall asleep on the couch all the time anyways, so it won't be a problem."

"Okay...thanks." Chris said awkwardly. "So, I should probably get some sleep. School tomorrow and everything."

"Right...of course. Umm...I'll make breakfast in the morning." Lamb said with a nervous smile.

"Sounds good." Chris said as he made his way into the bedroom.

_Normally, I'd be sitting up pondering the awkwardness of this entire situation, but I'm too exhausted._

Chris laid down on the bed and within minutes, he was asleep.

**Lamb Aparment - Morning**

Chris walked out of the room looking rather tired. He didn't sleep well, obviously. The smell of bacon emanated from the kitchen.

"Morning." Lamb said already dressed for work as he placed some bacon on a plate with some eggs.

"Morning." Chris responded as he sat at the counter. "Smells good." Chris said as he took a bite of a piece of bacon.

"So, I can pick you up from school today if you want." Lamb said really trying hard to get close to him.

"I do have a car." Chris said sarcastically.

"Right." Lamb said feeling stupid. "Dinner, then." He said with a nod. "I'll see you tonight." He said with wave.

**Neptune High - Morning**

_The girls bathroom was becoming a regular meeting place for me and Claire, only this time there was no kissing going on at all._

"I'm sorry about your grandpa." Claire said with a sympathetic smile.

"Can we just makeout now?" Chris said as he pulled Claire into a kiss.

"Hey..." Claire said as she pushed him back. "You CAN talk to me, you know"  
She said seemingly worried about him.

"Let's not confuse our roles." Chris said. "You and me...we makeout in the girls bathroom. We don't chat about our lives and comfort each other in distress"  
Chris said somewhat coldly.

"That all this is to you?" Claire said somewhat hurt. "Well, I'm not much in the mood for a makeout session." She said as she stormed out of the bathroom.

_Great. Well, now I'm going to have to make that up to her. Why? Because I have feelings for her. Feelings I didn't even think were possible, but as my mother always said. You can't help who you love. Penny's just going to love this development._

**Neptune High - Lunch**

Penny made her way over to Chris and sat down at the table. "Hello, Buddy." She said rather perky. "So, I think we should have a movie fest tonight. Junk food, popcorn, and all the latest movies." She said with a smile.

"Maybe. Not sure if Lamb is gonna let me out tonight." Chris said somewhat in his own world.

"How's that going? I still can't believe that Sheriff Lamb is your father." Penny said with smile. "But at least you know now, right?"

"Right, I guess." Chris said with a sigh. He needed to get it off his chest, and he knew Penny was going to freak. "I've been making out with Claire Casablancas." He blurted out.

Penny began to laugh, but realized that Chris wasn't joking. "Eeeew! Umm...did you fall on your head? Drink the kool-aid? We hate her.

"Yeah, yeah, well, I don't know..." Chris said, but was interrupted by Penny.

"You like her! Oh my god! I can't take this. The whole social order of school is changing"  
She said totally overreacting.

"You done?" Chris asked.

"Yeah." Penny said still a little weirded out by the revelation, but cut Chris some slack. "So.  
what about Izzy?" Penny asked.

"Well, I have to decide what I want more." Chris said with a sigh.

**Izzy's Apartment- Afternoon**

_School was over and I had avoided Izzy as best as I could, but it wasn't right leading her on like this. I'm not sure how she feels about me, but I do care about her, but if I'm having feelings for anyone else, it isn't fair to either of us._

Chris knocked on the door and Izzy answered with a smile. "Hey, Stranger." She said as she leaned in and kissed him. "How are you?"

"I've been better." Chris said with a sigh. He hated himself right now.

"Wanna come in?" Izzy said seductively.

"About that. I...everything is changing right now, and I think we should end this." Chris said nervously.

"Oh..." Izzy said softly.

"It's me. I'm a danger, and I hurt people, and I'm confused, and I don't want to string you along while I figure things out." Chris said with a sigh.

"I understand." Izzy said obviously upset. "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for." She said as she closed the door.

**Casablancas Residence - Evening**

_Figure things out? Hah! Like that was going to happen. Mac still hasn't come up with anything on those dates.  
My grandpa is still in a coma. I'm crushing on the richest girl in school, and I'm now the sheriff's son. There's no way I'm gonna figure this out._

Chris knocked on the Casablancas' door, and Claire answered. "Hey." Chris said smiling weakly.

"What do you want?" Claire said coldly. "This is definitely something we don't do."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Chris said. "I was a jerk. I'm going through a lot right now. My life is so complicated, I don't even know I'm here. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be trying to get close to anyone, because all it'll do is bring them pain, but there's a problem." Chris said taking a breath. "I can't get you off of my mind." He said looking into her eyes for a reaction.

"Why Mr. Mars, I do declare." Claire said smirking as she kissed him. "Wanna come in?"

Chris smiled. "I do, but I have to do something. Raincheck?"

"Yup." Claire said smiling as she closed the door.

_Good. Now that's taken care of._

**Echolls Residence - Evening**

Chris made knocked on the Echolls' door, and a maid answered. "Is Mr. Echolls in?" Chris asked.

Before the maid could answer, Logan made his way to the door, and saw it was Chris. "Mr. Mars.  
To what do I owe the pleasure?" He said sarcastically.

"Can we talk privately?" Chris asked.

Logan walked outside to join Chris and shut the door behind him. "Now, I'm intrigued."

"Well, you should be scared." Chris stated.

"And why is that?" Logan said with a smirk.

"You're not my father." Chris said bluntly.

Logan's face dropped. He seemed almost disappointed. Chris saw this, and was surprised, but before he could speak, Logan was already there.

"Well, then I think the emotion I'm looking for is relief." Logan said being his usual self.

"You had something to do with my mother's murder, and now I know that's right." Chris said glaring at him.  
"And I'm going to make sure you fry for it." He said. "Have a good night, Mr. Echolls." Chris said as he left Logan before he could respond.

**Lamb Apartment - Night**

Chris walked into the apartment to Lamb plating what looked like spaghetti. "I'm home." Chris said feeling somewhat good about the events that transpired tonight.

"Hi." Lamb said. "So, I got us a couple movies. Thought, if you didn't have a lot of homework, we could..."

"What happened between you and my mother?" Chris asked interruping him.

"What?" Lamb asked.

"How was I born?" Chris asked. "Without the disgusting details."

Lamb chuckled a bit. "You sure you want to know?"

"Yes." Chris stated.

"OKay, well, me and your mom definitely didn't get along all that well, but one night, she was upset over something,  
and I wasn't having the best day, and we ran into each other." Lamb said reliving the moment. "We were drinking, and one thing lead to the other." He said with a shrug. "Truth was, I had feelings for your mother, but they weren't returned."

Chris watched Lamb as he told him the story of his conception. Knowing it was probably a sore subject for Lamb,  
Chris grabbed his dinner plate and took a bite. "So...you got movies?"

_**Sorry for my absence yet again, but I promise I want to keep this fic going. So, like always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Any guesses on who the murderer is? Like the Chris/Claire pairing? Should Penny get a BF?  
Thoughts on Logan's reaction? Please review and respond. Little spoiler: Coop is back next chapter.**_


	14. Coop to the Rescue Part 1

**Lamb Apartment - Night**

Chris and Claire make out heavily on the couch. It's been two weeks since he and Claire have been officially dating. Though, no one, but Penny knows anything about it. It was a mutual decision...more Chris than anyone of course. It would cause to many problems.

"Chris?" Claire said softly between kisses.

"Yeah?" Chris said as he caressed her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Is your dad going to be home anytime soon?" Claire asked as she stopped kissing for a moment and looked into his eyes giving him a look.

Chris shook his head. "I think he's working late." He said with a smile. "He's finally given me time alone in the place.  
He's kind of gone overboard with the father/son bonding thing." Chris said with a shrug.

"Wanna move this to the bedroom?" Claire said with a smirk.

"Yeah." Chris said as they stood up. Taking her by the hand, he lead her towards the hallway, and that's when the door could be heard opening. "Damn." Chris said looking to Claire. Both of them bolt towards the couch and grab a magazine as if they were reading it just before Lamb makes an enterance.

"Hey, Lamb." Chris said with an awkward wave.

Lamb looked puzzled. "Hi. Ms. Casablancas...nice to see you."

"Hi, Sheriff." Claire smiled. "We were just studying."

"Right." Lamb said rolling his eyes. "I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day."

"And Claire and I are going to do the same." Chris said nervously. "Ummm...separately. I mean, she's leaving, and I'm going to go to bed."

"Good. Night kids." Lamb said as he went into his bedroom and shut the door.

"That went well." Chris said leaning his head on her shoulder. "Well, see you at school tomorrow?"

"Bathroom?" Claire stated with a sigh.

"Or at the front steps." Chris said with a smile. "No reason to hide, right? I mean, people are going to find out anyways, might as well just deal with it."

Claire smiled brightly. "Okay then. See you at school." She said as she got off the couch and made her way out of the apartment.

**Neptune High - Morning**

_Life the past 2 weeks has been hectic. I've been trying to keep up with the case load coming in at Mars Investigations,  
starting a new romance with my worst enemy's ex, and trying to solve the murder of my mother. Mac still hasn't found a connection with the dates. I'm beginning to think I've hit a roadblock. One that I'm not going to get passed.  
The only evidence I have is unsolvable, and the only person who knows what that information means, is lying in a coma._

Chris made his way up to the steps of school. There she was. Claire Casablancas waiting for him. It was surprising.  
Chris smiled and made his way over to her and planted a kiss right on the lips. Like clockwork, the crowds began whispering and gasping. It was expected. "Ready to do this?" Chris asked as he held out his hands.

"Lets make people jealous." Claire said as she laced her fingers with him and they made their way towards their classrooms, taking notice of all the glances.

_This day is going to be interesting._

**Neptune High - Day**

_Lunch took forever to get here, and now I have to say that I'm dreading it. Penny and Claire in the same place for 30 minutes? Not going to go very well, I imagine._

Chris made his way over to Penny, and waved. "What's up?"

"Hey." Penny said as she took a bite of the pudding she was eating. "Heard the big news. You and Claire are officially the it couple of Neptune High." Penny said a mild look of disgust on her face.

"Yeah. It's been a day of feeling like everyone is talking about me behind my back right in front of me." Chris said with a small chuckle. "So, we still on for tonight?"

"Steakout? I'm down." Penny said with a smile which quickly faded when Claire made her way over to the table.

"Hey Chris." Claire said kissing Chris on the lips. Her gaze went to Penny, and frowned. "Pigtails." She said sitting next to Chris.

"Uberslut." Penny said with a fake smile as she took another bite of pudding.

There was silence. The three of them sat at the table eating their lunch in complete silence. "Well, this is fun." Chris said looking around for an exit strategy if they were to maybe start to kill each other.

"Hey, Mars." Coop Navaro said as she came up and took a seat at the table. Dressed in her leather jacket, she had an heir of confidence to her.

_Thank you, Coop._

"Hey, Coop. What can I do for you?" Chris asked hoping it might need his immediate attention.

"Got a problem. Time to cash in on that favor you owe me." Coop said with a look. "Can we talk?"

"Sure!" Chris said standing up quickly. "Lets go to my office...which is...somewhere else." He said as he kissed Claire on the cheek and waved to Penny.

"Play nice." Coop said to both Claire and Penny as she got up and followed Chris away from the lunch area.

_**Okay, this is the first part of the last chapter before we find out who killed Veronica. I have many twists playing in my head, and deciding if I should go certain ways is very hard, and I hope you like the direction I take this story.  
As always, please review and respond. How's everyone feeling about the direction of the story? Any suggestions or stories that you as the audience would like to see? Little spoiler: Mac makes an appearance next chapter. AND we've met Veronica's murderer already in this fic.**_


	15. Coop to the Rescue Part 2

**Neptune High - Day**

_So, Coop has a problem, and it's up to me to fix it. To be honest, I thought the task was going to be a bit more involved...or dangerous, with Coop being the leader of a biker gang, but breaking into the principals office and retrieving a lighter that belongs to her father, sounds like a piece of cake._

Chris made his way through the halls of Neptune High. Passing by the Principal's office, he stopped and got a drink of water keeping his eyes on the office. The office was filled with people, and the door was closed, which meant that either Principal Mayes was in the office, or it was locked, meaning Chris wasn't going to make it in during school hours.

"Hey Mars." Laney Echolls popped up from behind Chris.

"Ever think of wearing bells?" Chris stated sarcastically as he wiped the excess water off of his lips.

"Wouldn't really go with this outfit." Laney said motioning to her clothes. "So, whatcha up to?"

"Just soaking in the wonder that is Neptune High." Chris stated lying. Laney was new...to his life anyway, and he wasn't exactly ready to trust her...plus, if this girl was anything like Lincoln, he definitely didn't want anything to do with her.  
"What about you, Echolls? Adjusting to life back in Neptune?"

"Ah, yes. Well, Neptune High is predictable, and easy to maneuver. Take for instance, I was able to snake teacher's aide from Marney Simpson 6th period, and now I've got nothing to do." Laney smiled.

"Shouldn't you be aiding the teacher?" Chris asked.

"Nope. The new teacher's lounge my father donated is plenty aid for the rest of the year." Laney said with a smirk.

"Teacher's aid, huh?" Chris wondered.

_This could be too good to be true._

"Yup." Laney stated.

"So, how are you about favors?" Chris said raising his eyebrows.

**Lamb Apartment - Evening**

_So, Laney has become an ally, much to my belief. Still not sure if I can completely trust her, but I guess the true test will come later. It's been strange staying at Lamb's apartment. Yeah, he's my father, but I've known him a few months. With no change in Gramps' condition, it looks like I'm here for the long haul._

Chris walked into the door, the smell of food hit him immediately.

"Hey." Chris said as he took a seat at the counter. "What's for dinner?"

"Tacos." Lamb said as he handed Chris a plate. "Its like one of the only other things I can make." He said with a shrug. "I'll work on it."

"Tacos are good." Chris said with a smile. "You off early tonight?"

"Just for dinner." Lamb stated. "I have to head back when we are done here, but I should be able to clear my schedule for the weekend...if you want to do something."

"Not necessary. I'm thinking we should make this as easy of a transition as possible. You don't have to spend all this time with me. I mean, we're stuck with each other regardless, there is plenty of time for getting to know each other." Chris said.

"I know. I just feel bad for missing out on your childhood." Lamb said with a sigh.

"Yeah, well, we'll have more time when I figure out who killed my mother. Then...we'll celebrate." Chris said, a frown now on his face.

"Any headway on the dates we found?" Lamb asked.

"Nope. I am beginning to think they mean nothing...or at least have nothing to do with who the murderer is." Chris said with a sigh. "I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do."

"Maybe you should leave it to me." Lamb stated. "You shouldn't have to worry about it."

Chris gave him an all familiar look.

"I didn't think so." Lamb said as he set his plate down. "I guess I better get going." He said as he headed towards the door.

Chris looked to Lamb. "Hey, Dad."

Lamb stopped and looked to Chris....shocked at what Chris had just called him. "Yeah?" Lamb asked.

"Thanks for dinner." Chris said with a small smile.

"Any time." Lamb stated as he left the apartment.

**Neptune High - Night**

Chris and Laney made their way through the dark halls of Neptune High...flashlights in hand.

"Thanks again for this, Laney. I really owe you one." Chris stated as they made it to the main enterance of the office.

"Don't sweat it. You're my best friend's boyfriend. It's all good." Laney said with a small.

Chris was astounded. "How are you anything related to Lincoln?" He said with a small chuckle.

"Well, for starters, I'm not an ass. And secondly, I'm adopted." Laney said as she used her key to open the office door.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I didn't know." Chris stated feeling bad.

"I'm not. I'm rich. I've had a good life. Nothing to complain about." Laney said as they came to Principal Mayes' door. "This is where your spy magic comes in." She stated.

Chris got down on his knees and pulled out a small lockpicking kit. After a few minutes, the lock opened, and the knob turned and granted access to the office. Chris went in, followed by Laney. He looked around. "So, is your dad always such a..."

"Monster?" Laney finished. "Not all the time. He's a good guy. He's just been through a lot...ya know."

"I guess." Chris said with a shrug as he spotted a small box under the desk. Searching through the box, he pulled out a lighter. "Found it." He said with a smile.

**Lamb Apartment - Night**

_After dropping off Laney at her house and the lighter with Coop, it was time for some relaxation. My dad was right about one thing. I wasn't going to solve my mother's murder as fast as I'd hoped, but my life has to go on._

Chris and Claire laid in bed, covered by the blanket. It was obvious what had just happened, and both of them had smiles on their face.

"So..." Chris stated as he looked at Claire.

"So..." Claire stated with a small chuckle.

"That was nice." Chris said as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Yeah...it was." Claire said as she rested her head on his chest.

Chris' phone rang loudly. He grabbed it quickly. "Hello?"

"What? I'll be right there." Chris stated as he got up and began getting dressed.

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. That was Mac. She thinks she cracked the code." Chris said as he knelt down and kissed Claire on the lips. "I'll call you later." He said as he left the room and the house.

**Mac Residence - Night**

"Okay, so after cross referencing all the dates with every important dates in your mother's life as well as the cases she had worked on I came up with zilch." Mac stated.

"Okay...then I don't know why I had to come here if we are exactly where we left off." Chris said frustrated.

"So, then I thought about your mom and how she worked, and that the dates were probably some type of code. So I worked it out and after a few hours, I think I found an answer that makes sense." Mac said hesitantly.

"What is it? What did it say?" Chris asked eagerly.

"Mercer." Mac said.

*******************************************************************************************************

_**Sorry it's been a while. Life's been crazy. Anyways...hope you like the new update. Yes, the next Chapter will conclude the mystery of Veronica's murder, and I still have some twists in the story that I hope you all enjoy. As always...please review and respond.**_


	16. Plain Sight

**Neptune High School - Day**

_Mercer Hayes. That name has been haunting ever since I heard it. Of course I heard about the Hearst rapist, and how my mother almost became a victim, but it classic V. Mars style, she solved the case and put him away. It would have been nice to know that he was let out. Isn't that supposed to be a priority. Let the person who was the main reason they were put in jail in the first place know they were out?_

Chris was jolted out of his daze when another body collided with his. He looked to the person, and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." Claire said as she took his hand in hers. "So...you never called me back last night. A girl could think that she had been used and thrown away like a piece of trash." Claire said playfully.

Chris kissed her. "Sorry. I have some...good news...I guess it's good news."

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"I know who killed my mother." Chris stated.

Just then, Penny made her way into the crowd. "What?! That's great." Penny said as she hugged him. "So, who did it?"

Claire, annoyed, urged Chris to tell them. "It was Mercer Hayes." Chris said with a sigh. "Which, while it's a definite lead...I have no idea how to find them."

"But now your dad can handle it right?" Claire stated.

Chris shrugged. "He's looking into it. I don't know how long it'll take."

"This is a good thing, Chris." Penny said with a smile. "This is the closure you've been waiting for. Your dad will find him, and then he'll pay for what he did."

"Yeah, I hope so." Chris stated. "In the mean time, I've gotta help out where I can." Chris said as he kissed Claire one last time and walked off leaving Penny and Claire alone together.

"Loser." Claire said to Penny.

"Walking STD." Penny said quickly as they both went their separate ways.

**Echolls Residence - Later**

Chris made his way to the Echolls house. Every time he saw it, he couldn't believe that someone lived in a house that big, but then again, this was Neptune. The land without a middle class.

_Only one person I know who was close to the rape case, and that's Logan Echolls. My ex-possible father, who for all intents and purpose could die for all I care, but if he could help, then a visit was worth the frustration of having to be in the same room with him._

Chris rang the doorbell, and Laney answered the door. "Hey, Laney." Chris said smiling slightly.

"Chris. Well, this is a surprise. I didn't know you were that taken with me." Laney said jokingly. "I've gotta tell you. I'm not one to cheat with by best friend's bf."

Chris laughed slightly. "Know what happens when you assume?" He said with a wink.

"What can I do for you?" Lane asked.

"Not that I wouldn't enjoy your company, I'm actually here to see your father...is he around?" Chris asked. "It's important"  
Chris stated more seriously.

"Yeah...sure." Laney said as she allowed him to come inside.

Chris followed Laney through the large entry way to the kitchen, where Logan was reading over a document. "Dad, someone is here to see you."

Logan looked up, and was shocked to see Chris standing there. "Bestill my heart. Christopher Mars. I knew you wouldn't be able to stay away too long. What am I being accused of today?" Logan said setting his papers down.

"Can you give us a minute?" Chris said looking to Laney. Laney nodded and made her way out of the room. Chris turned his attention back to Logan. "I know who did it."

"You're going to have to be more specific." Logan stated.

"I know who killed my mother." Chris said flatly.

"Let me guess, it was Logan Echolls, in the Mars' Apartment with the knift." Logan said evily.

"Mercer Hayes." Chris said only the name.

Logan's face immediately went serious. His face hardened. Chris had never seen a reaction like this from him. "How...It's impossible...are you sure?"

"Yeah. The dates I had found...they weren't dates. My mom had written them out in code, which gave us Mercer's name. He was released 6 months ago." Chris stated.

"I..." Logan looked almost appologetic...pain clearly could be seen on his face. "Why are you here?"

"Well...I was hoping since you two were friends...or whatever...you might know where I...or my dad could look." Chris stated.

"I haven't seen him in 18 years." Logan stated. "I wouldn't even know where to tell you to begin."

"Well, it was a long shot." Chris said as he turned to leave.

"I'll get my P.I.'s on it immediately." Logan stated.

"Thanks." Chris said as he made his way out of the room.

**Neptune High - Evening**

Chris made his way through the halls. It was almost dark, and the school was pretty much abandoned, aside from the basketball team practicing in the gym. Chris went to his locker and opened it.

"Mr. Mars, can I help you?" Principal Mayes said causing Chris to jump and turn around.

"Sorry, Principal Mayes. I forgot one of my books." Chris stated grabbing a book.

"That's quite alright." Principal Mayes stated. "How are you holding up? Your grandfather...how's he doing?"

Chris sighed, but before he could answer, his phone rang. "Sorry, it's the hospital." Principal Mayes motioned for him to take the call. "Hello?" Chris stated.

"Chris, it's me." Keith said from the other end of the phone.

"Grandpa. You're awake." Chris said with a smile. "I figured it out. I know who did it." Chris stated.

"I knew you would, but I've got some more news. It's worse than we thought." Keith stated.

"He's awake...that's great!" Principal Mayes stated...seeming a little bit aggitated.

"Who is that?" Keith asked.

Chris nodded to Principal Mayes. "It's just Principal Mayes. I forgot a book at school, and I needed to get it." Chris stated.

"Chris. I need you to not react right now." Keith stated.

"Okay." Chris said confused.

"Principal Mayes isn't who he says he is. He is Mercer Hayes." Keith said frantically.

Chris turned around to be more private. "Ok. Yeah. I'll...uhh...see you in a little bit." Chris stated nervously. "Love you, too."  
Chris said as he hung up the phone and turned his attention to Principal Mayes...Mercer. His mother's murderer. "He's awake."  
Chris said with a mock smile. "I've got to go see him. Thanks for your concern." Chris said as he tried to make his way towards the exit, but Mercer stood in his way.

"You know...you aren't as good of a liar as you think." Mercer said...his voice much more darker now. "You and your mother have that in common." Mercer said with a smirk.

Chris tossed his stuff at him and took off towards the other exit behind him, but it was locked. When he turned to run, he was met with a large blow to the head and he slumped to the floor unconscious.

**Neptune High - Night**

Chris' eyes fluttered open. His head was killing him. He tried to focus, but all he got at first was that he was still inside the school. He was in a classroom...he was tied up. Panicing, he tried to wrestle out of the ropes.

"It's no use. I'm pretty good at tying ropes." Mercer stated.

"Why? You were free. You could have gone your own way." Chris stated. "Now you'll get caught for sure."

"I don't think so, Mr. Mars." Mercer stated. "You see...you were so distraught over your mother's death, that you finally just ended your life...at least that's what your note is going to say." He said with a smirk. "I think I missed my calling."

"My grandfather knows the truth. He'll tell my dad." Chris stated. "That'll be taken care of."

"What do you mean?" Chris said panicing again.

"You don't think I did this alone, do you?" Mercer said.

Chris was in shock. A partner? Who? Who else would want his mother out of the way? The door to the room opened, and Logan Echolls walked in. "You son of a bitch." Chris yelled as he fought and struggled to get out of his restraints.

Logan shooks his head no, and was immediately followed in the room by Sherrif Lamb. "Dad? Dad! It's Mercer. Principal Mayes is Mercer. He killed my mother." Chris stated frantically.

Lamb looked to Mercer and then back to Chris. "Duh!" He stated as he shoved Logan into the room.

"I didn't know were having an audience." Mercer said towards Lamb.

"Well, Mr. Echolls is smarter than he looks." Lamb said with a shrug.

"You won't get away with this." Chris stated.

"Well, not necessarily the plan, Kiddo. You see...this is my big break. Your mother had been making my life a living hell. My life was always going to be stuck in this shithole of a town. When I tried to break out, finally try out for the FBI, you know what stopped me?" Lamb stated.

"Your lack of policing skills?" Chris stated.

"That's funny, but wrong. Veronica Mars." Lamb stated. "That was it. I tracked down Mercer here...gave him a chance at revenge, and in return, I get to solve the mystery, and he gets to disappear."

Chris was speechless. "That's your kid, you sick bastard." Logan stated, but was immediately punched in the face. "Yeah, about that...I switched the results." Lamb said wickedly. "Oopsie."

Logan's eyes went to Chris'. Chris was finally able to retreave the pocket knife he kept in his back pocket and began cutting the ropes unnoticable to the other occupants of the room.

"Now, where to begin?" Mercer stated as he stood up, pulling a large knife from the table beside him. "Father..." he motioned to Logan. "...or son." he motioned to Chris. As Mercer inched closer to Chris, Chris was finally able to cut the ropes on his hands, and when Mercer was close enough, Chris sent a hard punch to his face, shocking both Mercer and Lamb and giving Logan a chance to get a jump on Lamb.

Logan elbowed Lamb in the stomach, causing him to drop the gun. They wrestled for it. Both of them sending hard punches to each others face, while Chris scrambled to get his feet untied. Mercer finally recovered, and went towards Chris. "You little bastard." He said as he lunged at him causing the chair to break and Mercer to begin choking Chris.

Chris struggled for breath. His hands hitting Mercer with little force. Logan was able to knock Lamb unconscious, and grab the gun.

BANG!

Chris' eyes shut close as the shout rang through the entire room. Opening them, Mercer was in shock. His hand moved to his chest where blood seemed to be pouring out. Chris pushed Mercer off of him as he pushed himself agains the wall as Mercer collapsed to the floor lifeless. Chris looked to the window as sirens could be heard from outside. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as his eyes went to Logan.

**Neptune Memorial Hospital - Night**

Chris' eyes opened slightly. He was in the hospital. In an uncomfortable chair. Keith was still sleeping in the bed next to him.  
The door opened, and Chris's eyes went to the person who entered. "Hey...what are you doing here?" He asked.

_***********************************************************************************************************************  
Okay, so I know I ended the story on a cliffhanger, but the Veronica Mystery has been solved. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I am still willing to continue this fic, if there are enough people who would like to see another mystery being solved by Veronica's offspring and the stories that come along with our new characters. I will promise more Mac. More Dic. and of course, more Logan.  
Please review and respond.**_


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